The Carolina Panthers began their preparation for Week 6 thinking they’d have to prepare for Jalen Hurts as the usual Philadelphia Eagles starting quarterback.
By Thursday, they learned that the QB on Sunday for the Eagles would actually be Tanner McKee.
And now on Friday, the Eagles have added a new quarterback to their depth chart.
Clearly, a late add at a position like QB is unlikely to see the field just a couple of days later. But it does emphasize the bind the Eagles find themselves in.
With injuries to Saquon Barkley and Devonta Smith threatening to hold them out of Sunday’s game as well, the Eagles could be quite shorthanded.
Although the Panthers are on the road, they’re coming off a bye while the Eagles have just returned from London. There are certainly advantages to be had for Carolina.
Eagles Sign New QB
The Eagles have signed QB Joe Milton off the Dallas Cowboys‘ practice squad.
In order to take a player off another practice squad, he must join the new team’s 53-man roster.
Milton could conceptually be active on Sunday, although more likely he will be inactive as the emergency third quarterback.
The other QB in the building is athletic, left-handed rookie Cole Payton. The Eagles would likely want to avoid him getting into a game, but he also will know the offense much better at this moment than Milton.
Milton is a strong-armed passer who played at Tennessee in college and was originally drafted by the New England Patriots in 2024 — late in the same draft that they took Drake Maye.
He actually started Week 18 in 2024 and won, costing the Patriots a chance at the No. 1 overall pick.
New England moved Milton to Dallas before the 2025 season, and now Milton is taking a trip elsewhere in the NFC East.
Why Jalen Hurts Isn’t Playing Against Panthers
The Panthers won’t have to deal with Hurts because he is dealing with a superficial blood clot.
The Eagles released a long statement on Thursday that explained what Hurts is going through. They’re using caution to make sure Hurts is OK before putting him back out on the field.
In the meantime, Philly needed QB depth, so they added Milton behind McKee and Payton.
It’s certainly not going to be the Eagles lineup that the Panthers would’ve expected to play when they first saw them on the schedule for Week 6.
But with Carolina already holding the lead in the NFC South, they’ll gladly take an increased chance at victory this week.
Before Playing Panthers, Eagles Sign New QB From Cowboys