It's been an uncharacteristically quiet offseason for the Philadelphia Eagles after winning Super Bowl LIX.
In a weak overall free agent class, the Eagles have gone bargin-shopping for quality players to take fliers on. Add in a few trades and while Philadelphia's main core has stayed intact, there are some notable differences across the board.
One of those is at the quarterback position.
Philadelphia shipped Kenny Pickett to the Cleveland Browns in the hopes that former sixth-round pick Tanner McKee was ready to take on the mantel of immediate backup quarterback to Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts.
In the case of McKee, ESPN beat writer Tim McManus believes that he's the kind of player the Eagles are excited about in that immediate backup role.
"The Eagles traded Kenny Pickett to the Browns for a 2025 fifth-round pick and quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson," McManus wrote. "This likely means 2023 sixth-round pick Tanner McKee will ascend to the No. 2 spot behind Jalen Hurts.
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"McKee has earned the promotion by impressing in practice and maximizing his limited opportunities. He went 30-of-45 (67%) for 323 yards with four touchdowns to no interceptions in two games last season. Philadelphia showed some interest in Thompson-Robinson before the 2023 draft and will now have the chance to help grow his game behind the scenes."
Make no mistake, this is still Hurts' team, and no changes to the backup quarterback position will alter things.
But Philadelphia has seen first hand how important the backup quarterback position can be. And McKee appears more than ready for the promotion.
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This story was originally published March 25, 2025 at 8:00 AM.