The Philadelphia Eagles are benching Tanner McKee in favor of Joe Milton III (that rhymes), according to reporting from ESPN.
This news comes after the following exchange between Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni and reporters on Monday afternoon:
QUESTION: What changes are you going to make this week and is a change at quarterback on the table?
Nick Sirianni: Tanner’s our guy. We’re not making any changes there. […]
Lol.
In case you’ve been living under a rock (I’m jealous), McKee has been filling in for
Jalen Hurts, who is out for the season due to blood clots.
McKee hasn’t been great. He is 0-3 as a starter this season with two touchdown to two interceptions and a 76.6 passer rating. In fairness, he wasn’t exactly helped by the coaching staff or the number of injuries to key offensive starters.
But it’s not like the Eagles were exactly in love with McKee, who began the season as the team’s third quarterback behind veteran Andy Dalton at No. 2. The Eagles cut Dalton after he threw an interception on his sole pass attempt in relief of Hurts in Week 3. They had interest in bringing the 39-year-old back after Hurts’ outlook worsened … but he reportedly declined and decided to join the Atlanta Falcons instead.
Dalton’s rejection led the Eagles to sign Milton away from the Dallas Cowboys’ practice squad in order to have more depth behind McKee. Milton was the emergency third quarterback behind McKee and rookie Cole Payton during his first game with the Eagles in Week 6. But then Milton moved ahead of Payton as McKee’s backup in Week 7.
Milton, who is roughly two months older than the 26-year-old McKee, offers some intrigue. He has a big frame at 6’5”, 235 pounds (spider graph via Mockdraftable):
Here’s a look at his pre-draft scouting report via NFL.com:
Rare physical specimen with the proverbial “arm talent to make all the NFL throws,” but he’s prevented from doing so by a lack of timing, accuracy and touch. Milton is gifted with a cannon for a right arm and can throw the ball as hard or as far as you want. His fastballs are often inaccurate and difficult to catch for moving targets, and he was wildly inconsistent locating his deep throws. He can elude pressure, extend plays and put jaw-dropping highlights on tape, but he’s never been able to mature his game from splashy to consistent. He’s primarily a single-side reader who struggles to improvise with his eyes. The physical ingredients could get him drafted on Day 3, but his lack of development over six seasons discourages his projection.
Milton did indeed get selected on Day 3 of the 2024 NFL Draft; the New England Patriots selected him with a sixth-round pick (No. 193) overall. He saw him playing time in a Week 18 game as a rookie, completing 22 of 29 attempts for 241 yards (8.3 average), one touchdown pass, zero interceptions, and a 111.4 passer rating. He also logged 16 rushing yards for one touchdown and four first downs.
The Patriots curiously traded Milton and a seventh-round pick to the Cowboys in exchange for a fifth-round pick during the 2025 offseason. Milton served as Dak Prescott’s backup last season and logged a mere 65.1 passer rating on 24 attempts through intermittent playing time.
The Cowboys then brought in former Eagles quarterback Sam Howell to compete with Milton for the backup QB job during the 2026 offseason. Despite logging some impressive preseason numbers (67.4% completion, 3 TD to 0 INT, 118.2 passer rating), the Cowboys waived Milton and went with Howell instead. Dallas brought Milton back on their practice squad after he went unclaimed off waivers.
Expectations for Milton in Philly should be kept in check. It’s certainly fun to think of him potentially being a diamond in a rough … or at least more aesthetically pleasing to watch than McKee has been. But there’s probably a reason it’s taken this set of circumstances for him to make his first NFL start in a league that’s desperate for good quarterback play.
That being said, it feels like there’s now more reason to be excited to watch the Eagles’ Week 9 game against the New York Giants. At least there’s something new to see!
(Until we get maybe get tired of watching him play, too.)
