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Eagles QB Tanner McKee prepares to start for Jalen Hurts vs Commanders
Eagles backup QB Tanner McKee is starting in place of Jalen Hurts, who is resting with many starters vs the Commanders on Jan. 4, 2026
- Tanner McKee will start at quarterback for the Eagles in place of a resting Jalen Hurts.
- A victory over the Commanders could improve the Eagles’ playoff seeding from No. 3 to No. 2.
- A strong performance by McKee could increase his trade value for the Eagles in the offseason.
PHILADELPHIA − The conditions are ripe for Tanner McKee to prove that he’s a legitimate starting quarterback in the NFL when replaces Jalen Hurts in the Eagles‘ regular-season finale against the Washington Commanders on Jan. 4.
As the Eagles rest their starters, including Hurts, with the playoffs starting the weekend of Jan. 10, this is a different situation than just closing out the season with a bunch of backups.
That’s because the Eagles still have a chance to move up from the No. 3 seed to the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoff picture. The Eagles also need the Chicago Bears to lose to the Detroit Lions in order to move up.
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For his part, McKee has just as much incentive to lead the Eagles to a victory. No, that’s not to possibly unseat Hurts as the Eagles’ starting quarterback in 2026. Rather, it’s to prove that McKee can be a starting quarterback in the NFL − for another team.
And that could entice the Eagles to trade McKee in return for an early-round draft pick in the spring.
That begins our first of three burning Eagles questions as they get ready to face the Commanders.
Why should Eagles trade Tanner McKee if he plays well?
There are some bad starting quarterbacks in the NFL, and some who are still starting into their 40s.
McKee, meanwhile, is 25 years old. He has had three seasons learning from Hurts and in the Eagles’ system. And when he has gotten a chance, he has played well.
Last season, McKee made his first career start and led the Eagles to a 20-13 win over the Giants in the season finale, completing 27 of 41 passes for 269 yards and two touchdowns.
That game was meaningless because the Eagles were locked into the No. 2 seed. McKee also played the second half the week before, against Dallas, after Hurts’ backup Kenny Pickett left with a rib injury. Hurts was out with a concussion at the time. McKee went 3-for-4 for 54 yards and two touchdowns in that game, a 41-7 Eagles win.
This season, McKee has attempted only three passes, completing all of them, for 33 yards in mop-up duty during the Eagles’ 31-0 win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Dec. 14.
So yes, this game against the Commanders presents an opportunity for McKee. Not just to prove something to the Eagles, but to any team that might be looking for a starting quarterback next season, either as a bridge or a long-term starter.
There are plenty of teams with uncertainty at QB in 2026, such as Miami, the Jets, New Orleans and Las Vegas. And a few others could be looking for a bridge to a future QB, such as Pittsburgh whether Aaron Rodgers returns or not, or the Chiefs until Patrick Mahomes returns from a torn ACL.
McKee’s salary cap hit in 2026, the final year of his rookie contract, is $1.2 million. That increases his trade value even more.
McKee said he’s not necessarily looking at it like that.
“I mean, I think any opportunity you get to step out on the field, you want to put your best foot forward,” McKee said. “I’m not necessarily thinking, ‘Hey, maybe something will happen.’ Anytime I get an opportunity to step on the field, I wanna go out and perform. That’s my job.”
And it’s also the Eagles’ job to keep improving their roster. Sure, McKee could return next season as Hurts’ backup, and the Eagles would certainly welcome that. But if they could flip McKee for a second-round pick? Well, that’s hard to pass up, too.
“He’s so smart, very intelligent in his pre- and post-snap reads,” wide receiver Darius Cooper said. “And he lets it rip.”
Remember, two decades ago the Eagles traded third-string QB A.J. Feeley for a second-round pick, and got the same return from Kevin Kolb in 2011 after he lost his job the year before to Michael Vick.
Anyway, for McKee and the other backups, this is more than a glorified preseason game.
“With these young guys, you gotta preach it to them, like, ‘Hey, it’s not just an audition for your team this year. It’s an audition for every team that’s going to watch this game,'” Eagles tackle Fred Johnson said.
Who are 3 players to watch vs Commanders?
This is a game for young players and those who don’t get many chances to play. Here are three that I’m watching.
- RB Tank Bigsby: The Eagles acquired Bigsby from the Jaguars on Sept. 9. He has gotten more opportunities as the season has progressed as a complement to Saquon Barkley. Bigsby has averaged 6.4 yards per carry as an Eagle on 42 carries. But he’s had only one game with more than 10 carries. Can he be a productive, every-down back, or at least someone who can spell Barkley for a few series? We’ll find out.
- WR Darius Cooper: The undrafted free agent from Tarleton State was a feel-good story from the summer by making the 53-man roster. But Cooper has gotten an increased role in the offense over the past six games. That’s when he had all six of his catches for 59 yards. Cooper has also proved invaluable as a blocker.
- DT Ty Robinson: The Eagles’ fourth-round pick has played only 53 defensive snaps all season. He’ll get a chance with Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis and most likely Moro Ojomo sitting out. Davis and Ojomo can become free agents after next season, and Robinson could be seen as a possible replacement.
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What’s the real reason Eagles are resting starters?
Eagles coach Nick Sirianni most likely still has trauma from the last time he tried playing his starters in the regular-season finale.
That was two years ago against the Giants. The Eagles, in the midst of their late-season collapse, still had a chance to win the division with a victory over the Giants coupled with a Cowboys loss to the Commanders.
That backfired in the first half when A.J. Brown hurt his knee in the first quarter and couldn’t play the following week in the postseason. In addition, Hurts banged his finger on his follow-through on a Giants player’s helmet. He stayed in the game, but the finger was not healed the next week for the playoffs.
The Eagles fell behind 24-0 in the first half. Sirianni pulled his starters at halftime. The Eagles’ season ended the next week in the first round in a 32-9 loss to the Buccaneers.
Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on X @Mfranknfl. Sign up for the “Eye On The Eagles” newsletter, emailed to your inbox every Friday morning. Read his coverage of the Eagles’ championship season in “Flying High,” a hardcover coffee-table book from Delaware Online/The News Journal. Details at Fly.ChampsBook.com