Do the Eagles have a No. 2 quarterback problem with Marcus Mariota or is the answer Tanner McKee?

Do the Eagles have a No. 2 quarterback problem?

A little more than a week ago, the question may have been outlandish. Even following Marcus Mariota’s uneven performance in the Eagles’ preseason opener and Tanner McKee’s promising debut, the idea that the latter could supplant the former seemed unwarranted.

But when Nick Sirianni was asked following the Eagles’ 18-18 tie with the Browns — and after McKee again outplayed the veteran — whether the rookie had any shot of winning the No. 2 quarterback job, it had to be a question the coach would eventually ask himself.

“You’re way too early on that,” Sirianni responded. “Marcus is our backup and we’re pleased with the way Tanner is playing.”

Eagles sleuths may have a field day decoding that statement, but Sirianni had to say — and honestly, has to believe — at this point that Mariota is still Jalen Hurts’ backup. All he has to do is weigh the veteran’s eight seasons against McKee’s two preseason games and that is where the conversation should end.

The Eagles aren’t going to make a rash decision based on a small sample of practices in training camp and games in which many of the players who were on the field won’t even be in uniform in less than a month when the season begins.

» READ MORE: Eagles-Browns report card: Tanner McKee scores well again, yet few excel

There is still a lot that is unknown about McKee, and entrusting him with the No. 2 job this early into his career would be imprudent. But that doesn’t mean Sirianni and general manager Howie Roseman shouldn’t be wondering if Mariota is the right man should Hurts miss time.

And based on the odds against a quarterback starting in all 17 games, Hurts’ injury history, and his style of play, the Eagles will likely have to call upon their backup. Do they trust that Mariota, whom they signed to a one-year, $5 million contract in March, can at least give them a chance should Hurts be sidelined?

Based on how the 29-year-old has performed in camp, joint practices with the Browns, and preseason games against the Ravens and Cleveland, probably not. But Mariota has 34 career wins as a starter (and 40 losses), and it’s not as if the Eagles will need him to be ready by Week 1.

He has clearly struggled with learning a new scheme, as was again evident in the first half of Thursday night’s game at Lincoln Financial Field when he completed only nine of 17 passes for 86 yards and tossed an interception.

“Sloppy,” Mariota said when asked to assess his performance. “And I can do a better job of getting our guys operating cleaner and more efficiently. But that’s what the preseason is for — being able to get that stuff ironed out.”

Mariota nearly tossed a pick on his first pass attempt when he overthrew Grant Calcaterra. But he sailed another toss to the tight end later and that time Browns rookie safety Ronnie Hickman made the easy interception.

“Tonight — obviously not up to his standard,” Sirianni said. “But it’s about us finding what works for him and that’s just us learning him.”

The Eagles brought in Mariota because they thought they knew enough about him — at least how his mobility would translate to the run-option part of the offense. They didn’t want to have another scenario — like they did with Gardner Minshew — where they would have to script a significantly different offense in case of emergency.

Mariota has looked fine in the quarterback read game. But what the Eagles may have failed to project was how he would handle the drop-back pass portion of the offense. When Mariota has been inaccurate downfield, his throws have often gone over the heads of receivers.

“For me, I’m learning as I go and I’m learning through these experiences,” said Mariota, who said he wasn’t sure if his throwing mechanics played a role in the overthrows. “And good, bad, or indifferent, I’ll take it on the chin and just learn.”

» READ MORE: Marcus Mariota struggles, Eagles suffer several injuries in 18-18 tie with the Browns

Mariota ran with some success last week, whether on designed keeps or scrambling. But he took off only once against the Browns — picking up 5 yards and a first down — and seemed to hold the ball too long on two of the three sacks he took.

Was he trying too hard not to run and to execute the offense as scripted?

“Not necessarily. That’s just kind of how the game went,” Mariota said.

McKee, on the other hand, doesn’t have the mobility of Hurts, Mariota, or Ian Book, whom he has already beaten for the third spot. That may hurt him when there’s pressure and he needs to escape — he was sacked twice on the Eagles’ final drive — but he has already shown a willingness to stay in the pocket with his eyes downfield.

“I think it’s just play to your skill set,” McKee said. “Maybe I have a different mindset of maybe I want to try and squeeze this in there instead of scramble and make a few guys miss.”

McKee, whom the Eagles drafted in the sixth round out of Stanford, completed 10 of 18 passes for 147 yards and a touchdown in guiding the Eagles back to knot the score. But he could have had more success, as Sirianni pointed out, had there not been three or four drops, one of which came in the end zone
from Deon Cain on fourth down.

“We’re obviously pleased with how he played. … The ball was going to where it needed to go. It was accurate,” Sirianni said of McKee. “He had some really nice throws into tight coverage.”

Sirianni has been around long enough to know two preseason games aren’t enough to make sweeping conclusions. And Eagles fans, at least the older ones, have been around long enough to remember a variety of quarterbacks who did well early only to crack under closer examination.

If the Eagles, in the unlikely scenario, want to replace Mariota, they’re probably not going to look at the rookie — at least not before the start of the season. There are options, although one that rhymes with Rick Moles and not Farson Bentz makes some sense.

But the notion isn’t as bizarre as it might have seemed just a little while ago.

“I just want to play my best and reach my potential,” McKee said. “As far as depth chart and who makes the team, that’s going to be out of my hands.”

Not necessarily.