Preseason game No. 2 said a lot about how the Eagles view their quarterback room for the 2025 season, so please allow an explanation.
It may not seem as obvious as what happened on Saturday, when Head Coach Nick Sirianni made the call to rest second-string quarterback Tanner McKee along with starter Jalen Hurts to give Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Kyle McCord an entire game of live reps against Cleveland.
The Eagles lost the game, 22-13, on a very hot Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field, but they learned in the process. The picture of the quarterback room, one that is impressive and a model of how to do it the right way ...
**1.** Hurts, of course, is The Franchise Quarterback and he has enjoyed a strong offseason. Focused as always, determined like never before, Hurts moved quickly from winning the Most Valuable Player Award in Super Bowl LIX to resetting himself for the season ahead. Hurts is the quarterback you want leading this team, having compiled a 37-10 regular-season record since 2022 and saving his very best for the biggest stages – postseason play and, especially, the Super Bowl.
**2.** McKee is an example of how to develop a young quarterback. A sixth-round draft pick in 2022, McKee has had three offensive coordinators and three quarterbacks coaches in his three seasons – as has Hurts, of course – and McKee has continued to make great progress. His lights-out performance in the preseason opener – 20-of-25 passes, 3 total touchdowns (including a Tush Push!) – after playing so well in games against Dallas and the Giants in last year's regular season continued to validate the Eagles' great feelings for him. Then McKee played well in two days of joint practices against the Browns and he earned the rest on Saturday, one that is truly unusual. How many No. 2 quarterbacks get the second preseason game off? This speaks to the value of McKee and in how confident the team is in his ability to play and play well in the offense.
**3.** Who is the No. 3 quarterback? It is clearly not decided to this point and we will probably see both DTR and McCord on Friday night against the Jets in the preseason finale. McCord turned a defensive takeaway into a touchdown pass to Ainias Smith, but there were other tough times as well. DTR had a wacky pass intercepted and returned for a touchdown. There wasn't a whole lot to celebrate about either player's performance other than a couple of McCord throws, including the third-down scoring completion to Smith.
**4.** The goal is to build as deep a quarterback room as possible, so evaluating Thompson-Robinson and McCord in the course of the next week is pivotal. You want high-level assets in that room. You want other teams to inquire about your quarterbacks. You never know when you're going to have an injury or any kind of setback, so as the Eagles prepare for the Jets and the preseason finale, they will keep an eye on the near future, too. Working with DTR and McCord is something the coaches will do to bring them up to speed in the offense and with the personnel here.