With Jalen Hurts’ and Kenny Pickett’s injury status unclear, third-string QB Tanner McKee is ready for anything
Along with mental reps, the third-string quarterback often stays after practice to work with receivers. Offensive coordinator Kellen More says he's done an "excellent" job staying ready.
For the last two seasons, Tanner McKee has served as the Eagles’ emergency third quarterback on game day, waiting for his moment to contribute in a pinch.
Could his opportunity — at least as the primary backup — come this week?
In the aftermath of Sunday’s loss to the Washington Commanders, Jalen Hurts entered concussion protocol, and his backup, Kenny Pickett, suffered a rib injury. Pickett said postgame that he had X-rays and would undergo further testing on Monday, but he said he was “not worried” about his status this week.
Nick Sirianni had no update on either player on Monday. The statuses of both players are unknown as of Tuesday afternoon, as the team will not release an injury report until Wednesday. Regardless of the injuries to Hurts and Pickett, McKee’s approach to the Eagles’ game against the Dallas Cowboys (1 p.m. Sunday, Fox29) in practice and the meeting room doesn’t change.
“I feel like I’ve always been preparing to be the starter and preparing to play,” McKee said Tuesday before the team’s walk-through. “And so my preparation’s going to stay the same, and I’m obviously excited for any opportunity that I do get. But we’re going to take it day by day for those guys.”
McKee, the Eagles’ 2023 sixth-round pick out of Stanford, has not taken a snap in a regular-season game. He has turned heads with his preseason performances over the last two years, most recently in the Eagles’ 14-13 comeback win over the New England Patriots this year, in which he completed 15-of-19 passing attempts for 140 yards.
Since then, McKee’s continued development has happened away from the public eye. Sirianni lauded the 6-foot-6, 231-pound McKee for his performance this season in practice, where he takes most of his reps on scout team and during developmental periods. Because he doesn’t have as many opportunities to run the Eagles offense as he did during the preseason, McKee has learned the value of taking mental reps throughout each week.
“It just emphasizes more the time that you spend in the quarterback room when you’re studying your plays, when you’re drawing them up on the board, when you’re doing those things, because I think that’s when you’re getting those mental reps,” McKee said. “I think stepping behind and when Jalen’s going through his progressions in practice, just getting that footwork and getting that timing down and seeing like, ‘If I was in, where would I put the ball? Where would I throw?’
“And so just without getting those live reps, you’re still getting those live reps, and that timing’s still going to be the same.”
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But McKee doesn’t rely exclusively on mental reps to get him ready to play if called upon. Offensive coordinator Kellen Moore said the coaching staff tries to find time for the backups to run the plays in the game plan on Friday against the defense in a “competitive environment.” Additionally, McKee often stays after practices to work with the receivers and throw a few extra routes.
“I think it’s just doing enough to feel ready and feel prepared if you were thrown into a game,” McKee said. “So grabbing a couple guys afterward and being like, ‘Hey, I didn’t get this route in practice,’ or Jalen obviously gets the majority of the reps, and so I want to throw a couple routes with this guy in case I do get called on for this concept. So I think it’s just getting timing with the guys and feeling confident whenever a play is called.”
Moore said McKee has done an “excellent” job this season and expressed confidence in the third-string quarterback if his contributions are needed against the Cowboys. The offensive coordinator said he would make adjustments in practice as the week progresses based on the health of Hurts and Pickett. Moore added that he has contingencies in the game plan based on who starts at quarterback.
Whether McKee serves as the emergency quarterback once more or plays in his first regular-season game, he is taking pride in his growth throughout his second season.
“I think just being around the guys, being around the system, I do feel a lot more confident with the system and NFL as a whole, how to read defenses, just from last year to this year,” McKee said. “Just having another year under my belt. So if I do get the opportunity, I’m excited to do that.”
The Eagles host the Dallas Cowboys in Week 17. Join Eagles beat reporters Olivia Reiner and EJ Smith as they dissect the hottest storylines surrounding the team on Gameday Central, live from Lincoln Financial Field.