Sneaky Athleticism of Eagles' Backup QB Has Been A Pleasant Surprise

Kenny Pickett isn't Jalen Hurts in the running game but he's proven to be a threat in his own right.

Eagles QB Kenny Pickett / John McMullen/Eagles on SI

PHILADELPHIA - When you have a difference-making starting quarterback in the NFL, the last thing you want to see is the backup on the field unless it’s for mop-up duty.

That stipulated, the Eagles seem better equipped to handle a game or two without Jalen Hurts this season after the addition of 2022 first-round pick Kenny Pickett,

The 20th overall pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers, Pickett started 24 games over his first two professional seasons and won 14 of them before falling out of favor in Western Pennsylvania where Mike Tomlin’s team is trying to capture lightning in a bottle with either descending veteran Russell Wilson or underachieving fourth-year reclamation project Justin Fields.

Eagles GM Howie Roseman, who had a keen interest in Pickett coming out of the University of Pittsburgh, saw an opportunity and sent 2024 draft positioning by dropping from No. 98 overall to No. 120 and two 2025 seventh-round picks to the Steelers for a cost-effective backup under his rookie contract for the next two seasons.

Judging backup quarterbacks is always difficult in training camp, something usually tied to the disproportionality with the offensive line vs. the defensive line.

The D-Line is one of the heaviest rotational aspects in modern football while the O-Line typically plays 100 % of the snaps barring some kind of injury. That means most teams have more defensive linemen who are capable of playing at a capable level than offensive linemen, making most second-team reps a constant adventure.

In the case of Pickett two things have stood out: his ball placement on back-shoulder throws and his athleticism in the running game, a happy coincidence for an Eagles’ offense that thrives on Hurts’ impact as a plus-one in the running game.

Pickett isn’t Hurts but he’s sneaky good when it comes to his legs and the impact they have on the running game. 

John McMullen/SI Eagles

“I've never had that at the NFL level. I do think it's an element I can add as well,” Pickett said when asked about the QB run game by Eagles on SI. “You see it in practice. I'm taking advantage of some runs and getting 10 or 15 yards. Those are some big plays and it hurts a defense when you can take off and move the chains and stay on the field.”

The feeling is that Philadelphia could handle potential QB attrition this season well at least in the short-term, with Pickett involved. More so, the third-year player's presence and ability to keep the plus-one in the run game active at least at a competent level means offensive coordinator Kellen Moore wouldn't have to scrap everything and go back to the drawing board with game-planning minus Hurts.

“It's been a lot of fun getting involved in that [plus-one sapect. The RPO game has been fun. I haven't done that in a while," Pickett said "Finding easy completions and finding easy ways to get explosive [plays]. So it’s been good."

The talk of Tanner McKee pushing Pickett for the QB2 spot is just that, according to a team source. The Eagles like McKee, a conventional dropback passer, as a developmental prospect and are content to allow the 6-foot-6 Stanford product to continue to grow in what the organization feels is one of the best QB rooms in football.

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