Four days before the opener, the Eagles still haven’t sorted out the simplest quarterback question on the roster: who backs up Jalen Hurts on Sunday.
Andy Dalton says he doesn’t know. Tanner McKee says he doesn’t know. And Nick Sirianni hasn’t said anything publicly to clear it up.
“I haven’t been told anything,” Dalton said at his locker after practice Wednesday.
That’s where things stood again on Wednesday, with the Eagles keeping the competition quiet after a summer in which Dalton and McKee never really pulled away from each other in training camp or the preseason. Unless something changes, the answer may not come until Sunday afternoon before the opener against the Commanders at the Linc.
Dalton, a 16-year veteran and three-time Pro Bowler early in his career with the Bengals, said the uncertainty hasn’t changed how he prepares.
“I've prepared the same way my whole career,” Dalton said. “I know my routine. I've got a process that I go through every day, each week, and so that doesn't change anything.
“I knew kind of what I was getting into and you know, we'll just wait and see what happens when everything does get finalized. But I've been in this role before, I've been in the backup role, I've been in the room where you're not the guy and you prepare like you're one play away.
And that's the reality of it. So I think that's just kind of where I'm at.”
McKee, entering his fourth year with the Eagles, has handled the same limbo without letting it affect the relationship between the two quarterbacks. The pair has worked well together all summer, and McKee said Dalton has been especially helpful as he adjusts to the offense.
“Andy's great, great teammate,” McKee said Wednesday. “I've been able to pick his brain a lot of, especially with the new offense. He's run similar offenses in the past and just seeing how he's run it.
“I feel like we have a great relationship. Obviously, want to compete and are competing against each other on the field. But off the field, we have a great relationship.”
Sirianni has leaned on Dalton’s background when discussing the two quarterbacks, and that experience stands out on the depth chart. Dalton has started 169 games, sixth-most among active quarterbacks. His early run was strong - 50-26-1 in his first five seasons - but since 2016 he is 34-57-1, including a 1-6 stretch over the last three years with the Panthers.
Still, Dalton said the uncertainty is just part of the job.
“I think time will solve all of it,” Dalton said. “But again, for me and Tanner, we've handled it well.
We've kind of joked about the whole situation with, ‘All right, maybe you're taking the first rep, maybe I'm taking the first rep, who really knows?’ So I think for us, I mean, we're in good spirits with it all and see how it all shakes out.”
The Eagles are also carrying rookie Cole Payton, which leaves them with four quarterbacks on the 53 and opens the door to a possible trade involving Dalton or McKee. Dalton said he understands all the possibilities.
“I mean, there's all the different scenarios that you can think of,” Dalton said. “Right now, I'm here and I'm enjoying it. I feel like I'm in a good spot.”
As he wrapped up with reporters, Dalton flashed a smile and summed up the whole situation in one line: “If y'all find anything out, let me know. That'd be great.”
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