The Eagles’ quarterback room has a clear headliner in Jalen Hurts, and right now Day 3 rookie Cole Payton sits as the fourth quarterback on the depth chart. That leaves Philadelphia in a spot where it may prefer to keep the inexpensive rookie around long-term, which puts either Andy Dalton or Tanner McKee in the conversation as possible summer departures.
If one of them is going to move, Zach Berman of The Athletic says Dalton is the likelier trade candidate. The reason comes down to what teams usually want this time of year: a quarterback who can step in and handle snaps immediately.
"I don't anticipate the Eagles will keep both McKee and Dalton, and I still believe Dalton has more trade value at this time of year," Berman writes. "... In August, a 16-year veteran with 169 career starts would be more appealing to a team seeking a patchwork solution - if either is traded."
That veteran profile is hard to ignore. Dalton has been around the league with five different teams and has 169 career starts, which makes him the more obvious plug-and-play option if a team gets hit with a preseason injury or suddenly needs a temporary starter.
McKee’s appeal is different. At 26, he may offer more upside, but his NFL résumé is still extremely thin. He has only two starts, and both came at the end of the regular season in games that didn’t carry much weight.
The Eagles could still keep both quarterbacks and move on from Payton instead. They could also simply release Dalton. But if the question is which quarterback would draw trade interest, Dalton is the one who fits that market best.
A team like the Atlanta Falcons, for instance, could be the kind of club that comes calling if it needs an emergency starter because of a preseason injury. The same logic would apply to any team that suddenly finds itself uneasy about the quarterback depth behind its No. 1.
Philadelphia may not trade any of its quarterbacks before the 2026 season. But if it does deal one, Dalton looks like the name most likely to go.
In Other News...
Howie Roseman Just Sent A Clear Message About The Eagles Secondary
The Eagles made a quick roster tweak after their preseason opener, bringing in cornerback Isaiah Bolden while moving on from offensive lineman Hollin Pierce. Bolden, a 2024 seventh-round pick by the New England Patriots, arrives as a depth add on the back end, while Pierce, an undrafted free agent from last year, was cut after a quiet summer that never seemed to gain much traction.
It also reads like a small but telling nod to where Philadelphia thinks it needs help most. The secondary had its issues in the preseason loss to the Ravens, and with camp still offering limited time for evaluation, the Eagles are giving themselves another body to sort through in the defensive backfield as the roster picture keeps taking shape. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Face Tough Call On Two Rookie Defenders Fans Love
The Eagles rookie defender conversation has already become one of the more interesting camp subplots, with The Athletics Brooks Kubena and Zach Berman offering their latest 53-man roster projections on a pair of first-year players fans have been eager to track. Uar Bernard and Joshua Weru have both drawn attention during preseason, and the appeal is easy to see: Bernard has stood out for his athletic upside and what he has shown in games, while Weru has kept himself in the mix as the team sorts through the back end of the roster.
What makes this decision worth watching is how little separation there seems to be in the public view, even as the projections point in different directions. The Eagles still have to weigh upside against roster math, and that is where the tension lives for two rookies who have already given fans reason to pay attention. For now, the picture remains fluid, and the final call figures to say as much about the teams long-term planning as it does about either players immediate future. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Bubble Players Just Made These Roster Decisions Much Harder
The preseason opener against Baltimore gave the Eagles a fresh look at the bottom of the roster, and a few players took real advantage of the stage. Defensive tackle Robinson flashed with pressures and a sack, Weru showed enough as a pass rusher to get noticed, Shipley helped the offense, and offensive linemen Ojukwu and Lampkin both held up in their roles while trying to separate themselves in a crowded competition.
Ringo also added a key interception, even with a penalty attached to the play, which is the kind of mixed rsum that can still make life difficult for the front office. When a game like this produces multiple players who can point to useful reps, it turns August into a sorting exercise, and the Eagles now have some tougher calls ahead as they try to piece together both the 53-man roster and the practice squad. [Read more 🡒]