The Philadelphia Eagles‘ QB2 battle is under a microscope this offseason, as the team has struggled to pick between Andy Dalton and Tanner McKee.
After a Week 2 loss against the New England Patriots in the NFL preseason, there just might be a bit of a breakthrough.
When the Eagles linked for practice on Monday, August 24, Tanner McKee was utilized as the first Jalen Hurts backup, a position that Dalton has held for most of the offseason.
GettyFOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – AUGUST 22: Andy Dalton #14 of the Philadelphia Eagles looks on in the first quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles during a preseason game at Gillette Stadium on August 22, 2026 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Caleb Bowlin/Getty Images)
“Tanner McKee was first up as QB2 today,” Brandon Lee Gowton of Bleeding Green Nation wrote on Monday.
“Nothing overly flashy but a lot of shorter completions. Felt like the ball rarely hit the ground when he was out there. Andy Dalton did have a good completion to Moore along the sideline. No major movement in this battle today.”
Are The Eagles Getting Answers?
GettyBALTIMORE, MD – AUGUST 15: Tanner McKee #16 of the Philadelphia Eagles hands the ball off to Will Shipley #28 during the first half of the preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on August 15, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
Before the first week of the preseason, Dalton seemed to be in front. He was picking up most of the QB2 reps. After Game 1 in Baltimore, there wasn’t any movement. Both quarterbacks struggled within the offense.
Week 2 was a different story. Dalton struggled as the starter against the New England Patriots. McKee came in and thrived.
After the game, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni claimed that the battle was still ongoing, but there seems to be a little more intrigue with McKee at QB2 this week.
GettyPHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – JANUARY 04: Tanner McKee #16 of the Philadelphia Eagles warm ups prior to the game against the Washington Commanders at Lincoln Financial Field on January 04, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
“The reason Andy is going in first is because he’s not going to play as much as Tanner because he has more experience and he has more experience within this type of system, and Tanner needs to continue to play there,” Sirianni said after the game.
“I think you saw the improvements there from Tanner. We got to continue to give both of them opportunities within practice and potentially games. We’ll see how both games go. Obviously, I’m not there yet [for next week’s game]. But obviously, that was the plan today.”
The Eagles will close out their preseason on Friday against the Cincinnati Bengals. It seems there is a chance that McKee could get the starting nod.