What Does Tanner McKee Bring to a Demoralized Eagles Team?

Although Tanner McKee‘s 2026 debut was not stellar on Sunday against the Carolina Panthers, he has also seen his surrounding core suffer through injury after injury prior to his first start.

Now, as players regain their health, the question remains: can the Eagles manage with a McKee run offense?

Without Jalen Hurts indefinitely, McKee is slated to be the Eagles’ starting quarterback for the rest of the season. McKee, throughout this season, has put up 215 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions in 45 passes. All of this came in his first game of the season against the Panthers, which ended in an Eagles loss. However, this was essentially Week 1 for McKee, and now he gets ready to play against the division rival Dallas Cowboys for his fourth start of his career on Monday night.

The loss of Hurts cannot be overstated; however, McKee may be a better fit for first-year offensive coordinator Sean Mannion‘s style. Mannion’s coaching style tends to match those of Sean McVay or Kyle Shanahan, as they all much prefer a middle-of-the-field passer who scans the field constantly and remains in the pocket.

This, simply, is not Hurts. Though this may mesh with McKee. McKee has shown an exceptional ability to quickly survey the field and find open receivers. Although the accuracy issues may raise red flags, he has shown the intangibles to be a successful NFL quarterback.

McKee may be getting the full arsenal back for this Week 7 matchup. Saquon Barkley is officially listed as questionable, and DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert are cleared to suit up. This will be the first time since Weeks 1 and 2 where Smith, Goedert, and Barkley are all healthy, and both games ended in Eagles’ wins.

Given this, and the Cowboys’ lackluster defensive performances so far, McKee is slated to have the opportunity to, at least for this week, flip the Eagles’ fortunes. On top of that, Mannion seems to trust McKee to throw the ball. Although the running back depth was very limited in Week 6, McKee ultimately still threw the ball 45 times in his first game, completing 26 of them.

It seems Monday will be McKee’s first real test as a quarterback, rather than as a backup. Prior to this, his last game with Barkley, Smith, and Goedert in any capacity was in 2024, coincidentally against the Cowboys. In just 14 minutes, McKee managed to complete two touchdowns, one to Smith, and even Barkley joined the fun, getting almost 90 rushing yards in that span. McKee only threw four total passes, but he ended the day 3-for-4, with the aforementioned two touchdowns making up two of those completions. Along with that, the Eagles outscored the Cowboys 14-0 with McKee on the field in just those 14 minutes.

There is very little sample size on McKee’s ability when surrounded by weapons; nevertheless, given his scheme fit, prior success, and natural intangibles, his presence as the Eagles’ quarterback is not a reason to believe it is the end of the season.

In fact, McKee offers potential to serve Mannion’s offense due to his better fit into Mannion’s scheme, and could potentially shift the season in a different direction.

Isaac Baranski

Isaac is a high-school senior who currently attends the Hun School of Princeton. In his free time, he has many interests, but most of all is his love for Philadelphia sports. He has watched the 76ers since the days of Sam Hinkie and hopes to watch the process be completed. He has also watched the Phillies since the days of Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, and the great crew, and hopes to see Red October finally achieve its goal. Along with that, he picked up a love for the Philadelphia Union shortly before the pandemic and has seen them win multiple Supporters’ Shields in person. Lastly, and most importantly, he is a major football lover and an even bigger Eagles lover. Since developing his love for The Birds in elementary school, he has made it his goal to never miss a game.

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