New Eagles Arrival Already Giving Howie Roseman Buyer's Remorse

Kenny Pickett's Eagles tenure hasn't gotten off to a great start in the preseason.
Aug 17, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA;  Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman against the Cleveland Browns at Lincoln Financial Field.
Aug 17, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman against the Cleveland Browns at Lincoln Financial Field. / Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
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After deciding not to re-sign Marcus Mariota in the offseason, the Philadelphia Eagles made the shocking decision to trade for Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett.

The Eagles gave up a 2024 third-round and two seventh-round picks in exchange for Pickett and a 2024 fourth-round pick. For Eagles GM Howie Roseman, the decision to trade for the former first-round pick gives the team a young backup quarterback with experience who can step in if Jalen Hurts gets injured.

However, based on how the preseason has gone for Pickett, Eagles fans are not in a rush to see him on the field and would rather have Tanner McKee as QB2. 

Pickett made his second-straight preseason start on Thursday night against the New England Patriots. Statistically, the former first-round pick didn’t play horribly as he completed 11-of-13 passes for 67 yards.

But Pickett only averaged 5.2 yards per attempt and was sacked four times. Meanwhile, his advanced stats were even worse as the former first-round pick averaged 0.7 air yards/comp and 4.8 air yards attempt, which is mind-boggling.

When you have an offensive coordinator who wants to push the ball down the field, it would be nice to see Pickett do it. But he hasn't yet, which could be a bigger issue if Pickett has to play during the regular season.

That said, if you are Roseman and the rest of the Eagles’ brass, you aren’t pressing the panic button yet about Pickett’s play.

However, the early returns on his Eagles tenure aren’t great, and if Pickett struggles next week against the Minnesota Vikings, fans will be clamoring for McKee to be QB2.

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