Eagles Predicted to Make Odd Tanner McKee Decision for 53-Man Roster

The Philadelphia Eagles have a few questions to answer as they trim their roster to 53 players for the 2026 season.

While there are going to be some easy cuts for the Eagles, they have a bit of a problem to resolve at the quarterback position behind Jalen Hurts. Andy Dalton, Tanner McKee, and Cole Payton form a trio that, more likely than not, will be broken up on the 53-man roster.

But the question is, who is the odd-man-out? ESPN's Tim McManus is predicting that the Eagles' 53-man roster will go through without McKee, keeping Hurts, Dalton, and Payton instead. This would be an odd decision, especially after Week 2 of the preseason.

"Dalton and Tanner McKee have been competing for the backup role all offseason, and there's been no clear separation between the two," McManus writes. "General manager Howie Roseman has said he'd be comfortable carrying four QBs on the roster, but it would be no surprise if either Dalton or McKee got dealt before the season."

If the Eagles trade McKee, which is the only real acceptable outcome with the fourth-year QB, the return better be worth it for Howie Roseman.

Going into the 2026 season with Dalton as the backup is very risky, as he hasn't shown quality production during the preseason so far.

While McKee wasn't great in Week 1 of the preseason, in Week 2 against the New England Patriots, McKee looked a lot better than Dalton.

He went 16-for-22 for 173 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions and just one sack taken. Dalton went 3-for-10 for 44 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions.

It was another underwhelming performance from Dalton. Combined with McKee looking solid, it's hard not to see a potential decision to keep Dalton but move on from McKee as odd.

If they landed a mid-round pick for McKee, then maybe it's not such a terrible idea. But to send McKee away and keep Dalton after the preseason showing so far would be very odd.

The Eagles should be keeping McKee over Dalton, and this projected 53-man roster decision, where Hurts, Dalton, and Payton are the three QBs on the roster, wouldn't make a lot of sense based on the production leading into the regular season.