With Jalen Hurts out for the foreseeable future, the Philadelphia Eagles are expected to turn to backup quarterback Tanner McKee. McKee, selected by the Eagles in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, will likely start as Hurts is sidelined due to a blood clot in his calf. While rookie Cole Payton is another option, McKee, 26, has more NFL experience and served as Hurts’ primary backup last season.
McKee has not played a snap this season but has participated in six NFL games over the past two seasons, starting in each of the Eagles’ Week 18 games. He has accumulated 597 passing yards and five touchdowns against one interception, completing 61.4 percent of his passes.
Before being drafted by Philadelphia, McKee was a standout at Stanford, where he started for two seasons and amassed 5,336 passing yards and 28 touchdowns during his three-year college career. McKee, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, entered college late after serving a two-year mission in Brazil, which he credits for his preparedness for college football.
“It was super nice. We worked out every morning and I was able to get a little bit back in shape,” McKee said in a 2020 interview with Deseret News.
The duration of McKee's role as the Eagles’ primary quarterback remains uncertain, as the severity of Hurts’ injury has not been disclosed.