Eagles Backup QB "Dropping Dimes;" What Might Be Next?

The Philadelphia Eagles depth and quarterback room enabled them to be the only team playing backups to win in Week 18.

Jan 5, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Tanner McKee (16) claps his hands as he walks off the field after a victory against the New York Giants at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

PHILADELPHIA - The Eagles weren’t the only team in the NFL without much to play for in the final week of the NFL’s regular season. The Chiefs, Rams, and Bills were in the same boat, so they, like Philly, sent out their backups, including quarterbacks.

The only difference is the Eagles were the only one of the four teams to win. That is a testament to their superior depth and their third-string quarterback Tanner McKee, who threw for 269 yards and two touchdowns in a 20-13 win over the New York Giants.

Kansas City lost with old friend Carson Wentz throwing for just 98 yards in getting hammered by the Broncos, 38-0. Buffalo lost with Mitchell Trubisky, who had 101 yards passing, losing to the Patriots, 23-16. Los Angeles tried Jimmy Garoppolo, who threw for 334 yards, but one interception and the Rams' backups weren’t up to the task and fell to the Seahawks, 30-25.

Not the Eagles. Not McKee. Not a surprise.

“You see Tanner McKee just throwing dimes all over the field?” said center Cam Jurgens, who watched from the sidelines with most of the regulars who didn’t play. “It’s fun to watch. We get to see him dice up our scout team. It’s just fun watching him go out there and make plays. We got a lot of depth. That O-line stepped in and played a good game. It’s cool.”

McKee threw the ball 41 times, completing 27 of his throws for a passer rating of 100.6. He got the ball out quickly, rolled right and left when needed, and utilized 11 different receivers, something he credited to offensive coordinator Kellen Moore’s game plan.

Jan 5, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Tanner McKee (16) throws a pass during the fourth quarter against the New York Giants at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

“Looking internally, I just felt like I showed that I have confidence in myself to go out and, you know, operate, run the offense,” said McKee. “And, I feel like, for me, it just showed that my preparation has been working, and my preparation has helped me just get to how the offense was run…it was a growing opportunity, which was great. I'm happy to kind of get my feet wet a little bit, obviously, with my first start, and grow, watch the film, and learn from the experience.”

McKee could very well make Kenny Pickett expendable in the offseason after what the third-stringer has shown these past two weeks. He threw two touchdown passes on just four attempts in last week’s win over the Cowboys. He threw another one on just his seventh pass attempt against the Giants.

McKee is signed through 2026 and will make barely more than $1 million over the final two years of his rookie contract. Pickett is set to make $2.6M next year, the last year of his rookie contract. But that is an issue for the offseason. The Eagles have a postseason to play, and Jalen Hurts should be good to go for Sunday’s wildcard opener against the Green Bay Packers at 4:30 (FOX).

McKee left an impression strong enough that he and Pickett, who also played well last week with broken ribs, will be an offseason topic to be discussed at length.

“I thought he was in complete control of the game,” said head coach Nick Sirianni of McKee. “Making good decisions. I felt like he got to his check down a couple times, that was really impressive, to Will Shipley a couple times. Really impressive.

“Strung together a couple good quarters last game and then a full good game. Every time he gets an opportunity in practice, he does a really good job. We're excited about Tanner and the player he is.”

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