Former Stanford Star Tanner McKee Shines For Philadelphia Eagles, Makes Case For Backup Role

Jalen Hurts is entrenched as the Eagles' starting quarterback, but the team has an intriguing backup quarterback competition on its hands. Former Stanford quarterback Tanner McKee is competing with Kenny Pickett, a 2022 first-round pick the Eagles acquired via trade this offseason.

Both quarterbacks saw extensive action on Thursday in a preseason game against the Patriots, but McKee was the more impressive player. McKee completed 15 of 19 passes for 140 yards, earning a stellar 90.4 PFF passing grade.

Meanwhile, Pickett completed 11 of 13 passes, but he took far longer to work through his progressions, resulting in four sacks taken. He finished with a 60.5 PFF passing grade and was pressured on ten of his 19 dropbacks.

The Eagles selected McKee in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, and the Irvine, California native did not see the field in his rookie season. However, he's impressed coaches all offseason and could make a play for the backup quarterback spot this year.

Hurts praised McKee earlier this week, saying he's a "very smart player" and has "been making some great plays."

Fans were thrilled with McKee's performance on Thursday night, and debate ensued, with many Eagles accounts pushing hard for the Stanford product to be QB2 this season. Head coach Nick Sirianni has maintained that Kenny is the team's backup, but if McKee keeps performing like this, he'll have no choice but to change his tune.