The Philadelphia Eagles might have one too many quarterbacks when the roster cut deadline arrives this weekend. It sounds as though one analyst sees the Seattle Seahawks taking advantage of the situation.
SI on Seahawks’ Michael Hanich named Eagles quarterback Tanner McKee one of three potential trade targets for the Seahawks before the team’s final preseason game.
“The Seahawks should make a move for a legitimate No. 3 quarterback after an incredibly disappointing performance from second-year dual-threat quarterback Jalen Milroe. He showed he can’t be a proper emergency quarterback if Sam Darnold and Drew Lock go down with injuries. If Milroe steps on the field, the Seahawks’ offense becomes limited to the rushing game,” wrote Hanich.
“The Seahawks could get a legitimate third-string quarterback who could be a real threat in the passing game. Ever since the Philadelphia Eagles got Andy Dalton during the offseason, he has been trending towards the backup spot behind Jalen Hurts. McKee has experience on the field and could be an option for the future backup quarterback spot if Drew Lock wants to try and be a starter one more time after this season.”
In summary, Hanich sees McKee as an upgrade over Jalen Milroe, who has struggled in two preseason games this month.
As Eagles fans know, the team has a decision to make between McKee and Andy Dalton at backup quarterback. The Eagles could trade the one that doesn’t win the job before Sunday’s roster cut deadline.
Tanner McKee a Potential Seahawks Trade Target?
GettySI on Seahawks’ Michael Hanich named Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Tanner McKee a trade target for the Seattle Seahawks.
There’s one obvious flaw in Hanich’s argument — Dalton doesn’t appear to be the front-runner to be Philadelphia’s QB2. To begin this week, most pundits had McKee in line to earn that role.
“McKee should be the front runner for QB2, as Dalton has been dreadful this preseason,” wrote SI on Eagles’ Jeff Kerr.
Continuing, Kerr argued Dalton has played his way “off the roster” this preseason.
If the Seahawks want to pursue an Eagles backup quarterback, Dalton might be the answer. It’s not clear Dalton would want to be a QB3. But he would be an upgrade over Milroe, especially from an experience standpoint.
Milroe hasn’t thrown a pass in the NFL regular season. Dalton is entering his 16th campaign in the league. Dalton is 84-83-2 as a starter and has earned two Pro Bowl nominations in his career.
Could Eagles-Seahawks Be QB Trade Partners?
GettyWill Tanner McKee win the backup quarterback role for the Philadelphia Eagles?
In conclusion, it seems rather unlikely the Eagles will trade McKee to any team this week. A Dalton trade to the Seahawks could be on the table.
But the question with that is whether general manager Howie Roseman will want to benefit the defending Super Bowl champions in his own conference.
For the right price, sure, Roseman would probably trade any asset to any team. Roseman worked a deal with the Dallas Cowboys during the first round of the draft this past spring.
But for the Seahawks to acquire an Eagles quarterback, it might take more than what Seattle is willing to offer.
The Seahawks have Sam Darnold and Drew Lock returning. If they decide to dump Milroe, they’d been looking for a QB3 upgrade, which isn’t a high premium position.
In the best case scenario, the Eagles will deal one of their quarterbacks to a team desperate for a signal-caller.
The NFL’s roster cutdown deadline is 6 pm ET on Sunday, August 30. The Eagles could have a decision on whether they trade Dalton or another quarterback before that.
Eagles’ Tanner McKee Surprisingly Named Trade Target for NFC Contender