The Philadelphia Eagles have one preseason game to go, but their finale against the New York Jets just got a lot more interesting. Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Kyle McCord have battled for the third quarterback spot on the roster, and neither has pulled away, leading some to speculate whether the Eagles could make a trade for a quarterback in the coming weeks.
Wondering who the third quarterback is going to be is normally a champagne problem. But the topic got a lot more interesting when the Eagles stumbled into a concern over backup quarterback Tanner McKee during Tuesday’s practice.
I saw Tanner McKee getting his throwing hand looked at after an 11-on-11 session towards the end of practice.
— Tim McManus (@Tim_McManus) August 18, 2025
He continued to flex and look at the hand on the sideline. He didn't take any reps after that but did stay on the sideline for the rest of practice.
Eagles Need to Trade for a QB After Tanner McKee Injury Scare
According to ESPN’s Tim McManus, McKee injured his hand after an 11-on-11 drill at Monday’s practice. While McManus observed that McKee “flexed and looked at his hand on the sideline” and had it evaluated by trainers, the situation became worse when McKee didn’t practice on Monday morning.
Dave Zangar of NBC Sports Philadelphia turned the panic down a little when he noted that McKee will not need surgery for the injured finger, but it still kept him out of Tuesday’s practice. While McKee is still behind Jalen Hurts on the depth chart, it’s a reminder of how quickly things could change and how badly the Eagles need to acquire another signal-caller.
Hurts is locked in to lead the Eagles’ title defense last season but he missed the final two games of the regular season with a concussion. The Eagles traded Kenny Pickett to the Cleveland Browns in part due to the comfort of McKee being in the background role but Thompson-Robinson and McCord both struggled mightily, leading Philadelphia to just 88 yards of total offense in Saturday’s preseason loss to the Cleveland Browns.
It’s likely the Eagles will give both quarterbacks another chance to see if they’re ready to take the No. 3 job. And Eagles fans can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that their insurance plan isn’t expected to be out indefinitely. But Howie Roseman could also search for another signal caller as teams make their final cuts next week and it could make the No. 3 quarterback battle a lot more interesting.