It's the glamour position of all glamour positions. Sure, baseball has its pitchers, and many skill players who make their living on the gridiron are bound to sell their share of jerseys. Still, nothing beats seeing the camera pan over before and after every play for the expected close-ups of Jalen Hurts' reaction to every Philadelphia Eagles touchdown and interception. There was once an old saying. One of the most popular players on any football team is the backup quarterback. That may not be true in the City of Brotherly Love, where the Eagles are no doubt Hurts' team, but there has been a discussion brewing.
Who's the backup? We may be a long way from answering that, but an interesting storyline played out during Philadelphia's preseason opener.
Nick Sirianni explains the decision to give Andy Dalton the start in Week 1 of the preseason.
In a game that didn't offer much in the way of excitement, a discussion point came early. Andy Dalton took the field as the starter over Tanner McKee. Head Coach Nick Sirianni spoke with media members postgame and explained the decision.
"Nothing's decided there as far as who's [the backup or the third guy]. Andy's played a lot of football. He has 160-plus starts. Tanner's had two starts. [We] just wanted to make sure Tanner continues to be able to develop in live action... That's just how we decided to go tonight. [We've] been rotating them in practice. Both have continued to grow in the offense. Again [the decision we made tonight] is just what we decided to do."
Nick Sirianni on the thought process behind starting Andy Dalton over Tanner McKee today: “Nothing’s decided … Andy’s played a lot of football.” #Eagles pic.twitter.com/MXjb0J4qp8
— EJ Smith (@EJSmith94) August 16, 2026
Here's a much shorter translation. It's preseason. Don't make too much of things. This road will continue, and both will keep earning looks. Two preseason games remain, and both guys are navigating some new terrain with vanilla playbooks.
This is Philadelphia, though, home to the NFL's most passionate fan base. It won't be ignored that neither guy played well. Dalton completed three of six pass attempts for 20 yards and compiled a 57.6 rating. McKee threw ten passes, completing six. 35 yards through the air and a 66.7 rating were the results of his efforts.
Cole Payton had an interesting night. He completed four of nine pass attempts for 37 yards, but he led Philadelphia's only scoring drive. His touchdown pass to Erik Ezukanma elevated him to a 93.3 rating.
One preseason game won't determine anything, and Sirianni made that abundantly clear. If anything,Saturday's action reinforced how much work remainsbefore the Eagles settle their quarterback hierarchy behind Hurts. Dalton brings experience. McKee offers upside and familiarity with the organization. Payton remains an intriguing developmental prospect.
None separated themselves in a meaningful way against the Baltimore Ravens, which means the competition rolls on. For now, the only certainty is that Philadelphia's backup quarterback discussion isn't going away anytime soon, and the next two preseason games may tell us far more than the first one did.
This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: Nick Sirianni explains decision to start Andy Dalton over Tanner McKee
