As Eagles training camp gets closer, one of the more interesting battles on the roster is the backup quarterback spot behind Jalen Hurts.
Hurts is the clear-cut starter, the team’s franchise quarterback and the leader of the 2026 Eagles. He’s a Pro Bowler, a Super Bowl MVP and the guy the offense belongs to. The question is what happens after him.
Right now, the backup job looks unsettled. Tanner McKee is back for his fourth season after serving as the primary backup in 2025, but the Eagles also brought in Andy Dalton in a March trade. During the spring, both quarterbacks were splitting reps with the No. 2 offense, which makes this feel like a real competition heading into camp.
McKee is 26 and entering Year 4. At 6-foot-6 and 231 pounds, he has the kind of size teams like at the position.
The Eagles used a sixth-round pick on him in 2023, taking him No. 188 overall out of Stanford, and they’ve treated that as a smart investment. He spent 2023 and 2024 as the third-string quarterback behind Marcus Mariota and Kenny Pickett before moving into the backup role last season.
His lone start in 2024 went well, but his Week 18 outing against the Commanders in January was rough. Working with the backups, McKee completed 21 of 40 passes for 241 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
That performance may have affected his trade value, but the Eagles have had three years to evaluate him up close, and they clearly trust him. They even went into a season after a Super Bowl with him as the backup.
Dalton brings a different kind of case. He’s 38, in Year 16, and listed at 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds.
The Eagles gave up only a 2027 seventh-round pick to get him from the Panthers in March, so the price was light. Dalton has started 169 games in his career, and that kind of resume matters for a backup quarterback.
Even though he’s well past his peak and hasn’t been a full-time starter in years, he spent the last three seasons as a backup in Carolina, which gives coaches another layer of comfort.
Then there’s Cole Payton, the rookie fifth-round pick. He’s 23, a rookie, and comes in at 6-foot-2, 232 pounds.
He isn’t expected to push for the backup job in 2026, but he does add an intriguing wrinkle because of his dual-threat ability. At North Dakota State last season, Payton threw for 2,719 yards and ran for 777 more, with 13 touchdowns.
That has led to some Taysom Hill comparisons, though he’ll need to prove he can handle the role and contribute on special teams before anything like that becomes real.
If Payton looks good in camp, the Eagles may want to keep him on the 53-man roster. That could leave them carrying four quarterbacks, which is not exactly the cleanest way to build a roster because spots are so valuable. Still, the Eagles have publicly said they would keep four, and they clearly place a premium on the position.
That leaves a few possible outcomes. A team could call with an offer for McKee or Dalton, and the Eagles might choose to take advantage of the surplus.
For now, though, this is a competition. And there’s a real chance Howie Roseman ends up settling it with a trade.
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