Tanner

McKee

Hurts’ blood clot was initially a superficial issue in his calf. Unfortunately, the clot has moved and the situation now appears to be quite serious and, per Rapoport, “scary.” Rapoport said Hurts will now undergo treatment, “which, a lot of times, is blood thinners.” If that treatment option is deemed necessary, Hurts would not be allowed to play. Rapoport believes Hurts will be sidelined in Week 6 “and likely beyond.” Tanner McKee is his replacement.

McKee, 26, is a towering pocket passer (6'6/231) with 97 career dropbacks. He has two career starts and has made appearances in two other contests, averaging 6.8 yards per attempt and a 73.8 percent adjusted completion rate. McKee was the subject of trade rumors last offseason, but luckily, the Eagles kept him. He faces a Panthers secondary missing its two starting perimeter cornerbacks, though he has almost exactly 72 hours to get himself ready and the Eagles’ pass-catching corps is banged up. He is a viable QB2 in superflex formats, but he offers a wide range of potential outcomes. McKee is backed up by rookie Cole Payton. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo thinks the team could reunite with Andy Dalton, whom they released last week.

Dalton is “an option” for the Eagles, who are down to two available quarterbacks this week, Tanner McKee and rookie Cole Payton, with Jalen Hurts having been ruled out preemptively due to a superficial blood clot in his calf. The Eagles released Dalton last week. A few teams have reportedly checked in with Dalton since his release, “though there’s familiarity and a clear role in Philly for him if he decides to return.”

The Eagles released an official statement announcing the news. Per their statement, Hurts took a cleat to the calf in Week 4. He went in for treatment the following Thursday and an ultrasound revealed the blood clot. Doctors ultimately cleared him to play in Week 5. He continued to receive treatment over the next two days. After practice on Wednesday (yesterday), a follow-up ultrasound revealed movement in the small blood clot. The team has now ruled him out for Week 6 as they determine the next course of action. They didn’t comment on how long Hurts will be out, but it’s possible this is a long-term issue for the veteran quarterback. Tanner McKee will draw the start versus Carolina.

The Eagles demoted Andy Dalton after his end zone interception in Week 3. He took over for Jalen Hurts while the latter was being evaluated for an injury and immediately gave the ball away in scoring position. McKee has two career starts since being drafted in 2023.

Greenard was ruled out on Friday after three limited practices; there’s a chance he returns next week. Andrew Mukuba (knee) is playing off a questionable tag. Everyone else here is a healthy scratch.

Greenard was ruled out before the weekend, but aside from his absence, the Eagles will be operating at full strength as they look to kick things off against the Commanders in their season opener. McKee will serve as the Eagles’ emergency QB3.

To say the least, it’s going to be hard for the Eagles to recoup major draft capital in a trade for McKee if he can’t beat out an Andy Dalton who looked extremely washed last offseason. The backup quarterback battle updates in July will continue until morale improves.

That is a steep, steep asking price for McKee, who was a sixth-round pick in 2023 and has attempted exactly 88 passes in his career. According to Cimini, the Jets called Philly about trading for McKee before acquiring Geno Smith, and were told it would cost a second-round pick for the Eagles to deal the 6-foot-6 pocket passer. It was recently reported that a trade market is not “emerging” for McKee. If this asking price is true, then those reports should come as no surprise.

It sure seems like the Eagles would have to sell lower than they’d like on McKee if they were to move on, but it’s possible they decide to simply bite the bullet on that as he enters the final year of his rookie contract. McKee has been a rumored object of affection for Jets OC Frank Reich, and New York’s backup job remains open.