Eagles training camp: Kenny Pickett, Tanner McKee helping each other out in battle for QB2 spot

PHILADELPHIA -- Competition is preached throughout the Philadelphia Eagles locker room, even if some jobs appear to be in place. Kenny Pickett has two years and a guaranteed $4.61 million remaining on his contract, essentially placing him as the No. 2 quarterback behind Jalen Hurts .

Simple right?

Tanner McKee , the third-string quarterback on the roster last season, has been impressing enough this training camp to give Pickett a run for his money for the job. Offensive coordinator Kellen Moore increased that speculation by having McKee line up with the second team during Monday's practice with Pickett watching.

Much ado about nothing?

"It's not necessarily that they're associated with each other. I think both of those guys are having really good camps," Moore said prior to Tuesday's training camp practice. "Sometimes when you are a younger guy, sometimes we like to put you in some different situations where you are with different guys on the field, whether it be with a second group or a first group, all those different things.

"We try and mix and match these things to give yourself a different perspective for these guys."

Pickett and McKee have both experienced the highs and lows of training camp over the last two weeks, getting themselves acclimated to the offense. What Pickett has noticed with McKee is his ability to grasp the play quickly.

"He's a really smart player," Pickett said. "He's another great guy to have in the room and every time we come off the field, all the quarterbacks get together and talk about what we see.

"We all have different inputs on certain plays. What we could have done better or what we did well. It's awesome to have that."

McKee had a case to earn the backup quarterback job after the Eagles allowed Marcus Mariota to leave in free agency this offseason. Coming off an impressive preseason, the Eagles could have chosen to roll with a cheaper backup quarterback option in McKee and developed a third quarterback in the draft.

Instead, Philadelphia got creative. The Eagles traded for Pickett and the remaining two years of his rookie contract, having a former first-round pick under team control for multiple seasons. Having Pickett around is just another quarterback McKee can learn from as he continues his development.

"He's one of those guys that's really easy to get to know really quickly," McKee said. "He's a student of the game. I knew a little bit more of the offense, but then with all the different changes, we've been in the room talking to each other, 'What do you think about this, how would you read this, what have you done in the past and how can we merge that into the offense now?'

"Just having those conversations back and forth and how we can be on the same page as a quarterback room and grow and progress."

This preseason is important for both Pickett and McKee, even if their roles may already be in place.

"The biggest goal for me was prove to my teammates, the coaches, and everybody that I'm somebody they can rely on whenever they need me to," McKee said. "So, I'm just trying to prove that every day in how I work and how I play, just my connection with the guys on the team.

"We have a lot of great guys that love to compete, so I'm just trying to get better every day."