Tanner McKee Opens Up About Starting for Eagles This Week After Jalen Hurts News

The Philadelphia Eagles will start Tanner McKee at quarterback this Sunday against the Carolina Panthers. 

Jalen Hurts is out with a superficial blood clot in his calf, so McKee will play in his first regular-season game since January 4.

"As a backup quarterback, that's the mindset you have to have," McKee said on Thursday. "At any moment, you have to be ready to play on a Sunday. It could be the first play, it could be the last play. It's kind of a luxury for me to have the '1' (starter) reps in practice and just running the meetings or whatever it is. It's kind of a luxury for me as a backup to have a week to prepare like that."

McKee had 241 passing yards, one passing touchdown and one interception against the Washington Commanders on January 4. He's been with the Eagles since 2023. 

McKee has been the third-team quarterback this season, the second-stringer and now he's going to be the starter.

It's just business, he said.

"That's the NFL. The preparation is the same. I felt I was ready at any moment these last few weeks, so nothing changes from that standpoint," McKee said. "My level of confidence in the offense has been great, it's been growing. It's been nice to get the extra reps and also have conversations with Sean (Mannion, offensive coordinator) about what he likes, what I like, how we like to attack the Panthers. Every opportunity you get to play is a huge opportunity, especially being a sixth-round pick. Every opportunity is a huge opportunity. I'm obviously very excited and ready to make the most of it."

The Eagles are 2-3. They enter the Panthers game on a three-game losing streak. 

McKee has 597 passing yards and five passing touchdowns in his career. It will be intriguing to see how he plays against the Panthers, who are giving up 27.3 points per game. That's 26th in the NFL. 

"Really good front. Their down guys are good, their linebackers fly around, and they do a good job disguising what they're going to give," McKee said. "They don't have super-easy 'man' (coverage) tells, so that's going to be a little more onus on us to watch film to find those tells to use our motions, use our formations, whatever it is so we can play ahead of the game."

The Eagles started the season 2-0. They beat the Commanders in Week 1 and barely beat the Tennessee Titans in Week 2.

Since then, Philadelphia has lost to the Chicago Bears, Los Angeles Rams and Jacksonville Jaguars. 

Hurts has 933 passing yards, eight passing touchdowns, three interceptions, 107 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown this season. He's completing 57.8% of his passes. 

Hurts entered this season with 17,891 passing yards, 110 passing touchdowns, 3,554 rushing yards and 63 rushing touchdowns in his career. He's made the Pro Bowl three times and won Super Bowl LIX MVP against the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Eagles signed Hurts to a five-year, $255 million extension in April 2023. However, there is little guaranteed money left on Hurts' deal after the 2026 season.

A talented runner and thrower, Hurts finished the 2025 season with 3,224 passing yards, 25 passing touchdowns, 421 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns. He completed 64.8% of his passes.

It's unknown if Hurts will play again this season, as blood clots are very serious.