Jalen Hurts is sidelined indefinitely, reportedly with a small blood clot. That’s the word out of Philly, and it throws a massive wrench into the Eagles’ 2026 season right when things were already looking shaky. Everyone’s rooting for Hurts to get healthy, but in the meantime, the Eagles have to figure out how to navigate the rest of the year without their starting signal-caller.
McKee’s Back in the Hot Seat, But Can He Deliver?
So, what’s the plan? Tanner McKee is officially set to start against the Carolina Panthers this Sunday. This isn’t exactly the dream scenario for Eagles fans, especially after his turbulent 2026 offseason. Remember that less-than-inspiring Week 18 showing last season? The Eagles had rested their starters for the playoffs, and there was hope McKee, who’d previously flashed some potential in limited preseason and regular season action, could beat the Washington Commanders. He didn’t. He logged a 68.9 passer rating, which is not what you want to see. Sure, he looked a bit better early on with DeVonta Smith, helping Smith push past 1,000 receiving yards, but then it got a lot worse after Smith left. And let’s be real, he was up against a bad and injured Washington team that still had actual NFL starters playing, unlike most of the Eagles’ lineup that day. Those past flashes of promise are there, but the last memory isn’t exactly stellar.
The Dalton Dilemma And Philly’s QB Carousel
That Week 18 performance seemingly spooked the Eagles, because they went out and traded for Andy Dalton. Initially, everyone thought Dalton was just brought in as a third-stringer, and the team even leaked that to reporters. But then OTAs hit, and suddenly Dalton was taking the bulk of second-team QB reps. The Eagles tried to spin it as rotating QB2 reps between Dalton and McKee, and that’s what we saw through training camp and preseason. The problem? There was no clear winner when the regular season kicked off. Both guys struggled, maybe because that constant rotation messed with their consistency.
Heading into Week 1, they were still splitting reps, but then Dalton was named Hurts’ backup, with McKee relegated to emergency third quarterback. Dalton got his shot in the Eagles’ Week 3 loss to the Chicago Bears, and it was rough. The Eagles probably shouldn’t have asked him to throw in a goal-to-go situation, but they did, and his *sole pass* in the game was picked off by a rookie safety. Makai Lemon reportedly ran the wrong route on the play, but it was still a terrible decision from a veteran QB who’s turning 39 in late October. Dalton had “mostly stunk it up” since joining the Eagles and wasn’t any good for the Carolina Panthers in 2025 either. After that Week 3 disaster, the Eagles finally smartened up and switched McKee back to QB2, where he always should have been.
What’s Next For Philly’s Offense?
So now McKee’s the guy again, at least for this Sunday. It’s not easy to picture him thriving against the Panthers. The Eagles’ offense wasn’t looking great *before* these injury issues piled up, and Hurts’ indefinite absence certainly hasn’t helped spark any kind of turnaround. This team’s gotta find something, *anything*, to cling to if they want to salvage their 2026.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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