Nick Sirianni was asked the question directly, and he gave the kind of answer that tells you plenty without actually saying much.
"We don't have to make that decision quite yet or announce that decision," Sirianni said. "I think for competitive reasons, again, I don't want them to be able to study one guy over the other.
"I'm not saying we don't have an answer of who that is yet, but I just don't have to share that quite yet publicly."
That’s the heart of the Eagles’ situation at backup quarterback: they’re not naming one because they don’t seem ready to commit to one. If Jalen Hurts is healthy, the issue barely registers outside the building. If he isn’t, then it matters a whole lot more.
For now, Philadelphia is keeping QB2 under wraps, and that secrecy says as much as the depth chart would.
Neither Tanner McKee nor Andy Dalton made a clean break from the other over the course of the spring, training camp, and preseason. Dalton looked more comfortable with the offense early, but his live-game work was shaky enough to open the door back up for McKee. Then McKee got his shot and, in the Eagles’ preseason finale, looked like a deer in the headlights.
So the competition never really produced a clear public winner, even if the team has had all the information in front of it. The Eagles viewed the battle as something decided across the whole summer, but they still aren’t telling anyone who came out on top.
That’s where the speculation starts.
It’s not as if the backup job is meaningless in Philadelphia. The Eagles won their first Super Bowl title with a backup quarterback, and that history naturally keeps the position in focus. But neither McKee nor Dalton is Nick Foles, and nobody is pretending otherwise.
If Hurts misses a game or two, the Eagles need one of them to keep the offense moving. Right now, though, the public evidence suggests they don’t have full confidence in either. If they did, the name would be sitting there on the depth chart.
There’s also the simple matter of what the opponent would do with the information. The Commanders aren’t spending time building a plan around either McKee or Dalton, and neither would be as important to study as Hurts.
The Eagles have seen this kind of thing before, too. The Commanders didn’t game plan for Kenny Pickett to shut him down two years ago, and knowing Gardner Minshew or Marcus Mariota was the backup didn’t change much before that.
McKee’s role last year wasn’t something opponents needed to obsess over either.
Still, Philadelphia is carrying four quarterbacks for a reason, and this decision is not going away just because the team is keeping it quiet. The Eagles didn’t get the offer they wanted for McKee or Dalton, and they have long placed a high value on the position under this regime.
That leaves the trade deadline on November 10 as the next possible turning point. The Eagles have more than two months to find a quarterback-needy team, and maybe that’s when the mystery clears up. Maybe they won’t have to reveal their answer any earlier.
If they do keep four quarterbacks all season, that would be a surprise. Eventually, they’ll have to move on from McKee or Dalton, and it won’t be Cole Payton.
For now, the Eagles can dodge the question. At some point, though, they’ll have to show their hand. The hope in Philadelphia is that it doesn’t come because Hurts had to leave a game.
In Other News...
A.J. Browns Patriots Debut Created An Eagles Concern Nobody Wanted
A.J. Browns Patriots debut was supposed to be one of the more watched storylines of the opening week, but it ended with an early exit that immediately shifted the conversation from production to health. Before leaving with an injury in Seattle, Brown had three catches for 26 yards as the Patriots came up short in a 13-10 loss, a frustrating start for a receiver expected to be a major part of the offense.
The concern only grew after Brown was seen in a walking boot following the game, leaving a team already trying to find its footing with Drake Maye under center to monitor a situation it could not afford to see linger. Maye finished 23 of 33 for 178 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions, including a costly late turnover, and now New England heads into matchups with Pittsburgh, Jacksonville and Buffalo with more questions than answers around one of its most important players. [Read more 🡒]
A.J. Browns Patriots Debut Brought Back A Familiar Eagles Concern
A.J. Browns first game with the Patriots offered a quick reminder of why Philadelphia spent so much time worrying about his availability. After being traded away from the Eagles, Brown got on the field for New Englands season opener, but his afternoon ended in the third quarter when an ankle injury forced him out of the game. Before leaving, he managed three catches for 26 yards, and he did not record a completion on any throw that traveled 10 or more air yards.
For Eagles fans, the scene carried a familiar unease because Browns talent was never the issue in Philadelphia, his durability was. His time with the Eagles was marked by injuries that kept him from being the steady, full-strength presence the offense wanted, and his early exit with the Patriots puts that concern right back in the spotlight. The next question is less about whether Brown can produce when hes healthy and more about how often hell actually be able to stay there. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Finally Settled A Safety Battle That Matters For Fangio
Vic Fangio has finally settled the most consequential safety question on the Eagles defense, and the answer points to veteran Marcus Epps as the Week 1 starter. Epps beat out Michael Carter II for the job, a competition that had lingered through camp as Philadelphia worked to sort out the role left open after Reed Blankenship departed in free agency.
Epps is expected to handle about 75% of the defensive snaps, giving Fangio a more defined presence on the back end as the Eagles open the season. Carter, meanwhile, still figures to have a useful place in the defense as a versatile backup who can move into multiple roles, which keeps the depth chart flexible even with the starting decision now made. [Read more 🡒]