One of the biggest position battles to watch at Philadelphia Eagles training camp will be at the quarterback position. The starting job is off-limits. Jalen Hurts won’t have to look over his shoulder for a third straight year.
Marcus Mariota is entrenched as the backup after inking a one-year deal worth up to $8 million. Head coach Nick Sirianni trusts him to be a steadying influence and reliable emergency plan in case Hurts goes down. No, the competition will be for the third-string job where veteran Ian Book and rookie Tanner McKee are set to duke it out.
Jalen Hurts texted Tanner McKee the day after he was drafted
McKee has also been added to the QB group chat. Big step.
The Athletic’s Bo Wulf took a novice stab at predicting the depth chart in a recent article. In it, he gives the nod to McKee over Book, adding that the Eagles would most likely try and trade whichever quarterback loses the battle. McKee has the added advantage of being under team control thanks to his four-year rookie deal.
“McKee is 6 feet 6 and 231 pounds and has the advantage of longer cost control,” wrote Wulf. “In an ideal world, Roseman is able to trade one of the two at the end of the preseason for a draft pick.”
Tanner McKee Had ‘First-Round Potential’
Philadelphia picked Book up off waivers last summer after the New Orleans Saints released him. He was immediately added to the active roster but never saw game action. McKee, a sixth-round pick out of Stanford, enters camp as a developmental project with a high ceiling.
New #Eagles QB Tanner McKee 👀
McKee had “first-round potential” to start the 2022 season, then fell off everyone’s radar following a lackluster 2022 campaign. He could be a diamond in the rough. Here is a scouting report on McKee, via NFL Media’s Lance Zierlein:
Long, tall pocket passer with better arm strength than arm talent as a passer. McKee throws with an unorthodox delivery that becomes even more irregular when he feels rushed. He can make all the NFL throws and delivers a tight spiral with good velocity on intermediate and deep throws to the field side.
However, his heavy feet and a lack of agility limit his effectiveness outside of the pocket and make him a magnet for pass rushers when protection becomes spotty. McKee clearly improved his throwing process in 2022, but he might lack the decision-making and functional mobility to make it in today’s NFL.
Nick Sirianni Provides Scouting Report
Head coach Nick Sirianni was quick to hype up McKee’s intangibles on draft day. While he lacks the mobility of the other three quarterbacks on the roster, including Book who racked up 1,517 rushing yards and 17 rushing touchdowns at Notre Dame, McKee can stand in the pocket and sling it. He knows how to run a pro-style offense.
“Obviously through the process of talking to him, intelligent, really knows his offense and made good, quick decisions with the football,” Sirianni told reporters on April 29. “So, we think he’s a great decision-maker, has a big arm, and we think he’s accurate.
“The things you look at with a quarterback, the first couple things that ever come to your mind when evaluating a quarterback are those three things I said and then ability to extend plays. He definitely has those first three things, and we’re excited to work with him. No indication of anything with the room. We’re excited to work with the entire room.”
It’s football season with #Eagles “Voluntary” OTS’s. QB’s on roster 1 Jalen Hurts, 8 Marcus Mariota, 19 Ian Book and draft pick 10 Tanner McKee. @SportsRadioWIP
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Eagles Could Look to Trade QB in ‘Ideal World,’ Says Analyst