The Philadelphia Eagles' dream of trading former backup quarterback Tanner McKee for a Day 2 draft pick has died on the vine. Instead of proving he's a viable starter or even the high-value backup head coach Nick Sirianni hoped, the former sixth round pick has foundered in Jalen Hurts' wake.
Thus, McKee heads to the bench even with Hurts out for the season while he recovers from blood clots. In his place? A quarterback who wasn't even on the roster three weeks ago.
The Eagles claimed Joe Milton from the Dallas Cowboys' practice squad on October 16, fortifying their depth chart in case of emergency. Dallas hoped he could be a high ceiling backup to Dak Prescott by acquiring him from the New England Patriots, but he underwhelmed in limited duty
in 2025 and lost his spot on the active roster to Sam Howell. Now he has a chance to thrive in a low stakes environment just like he did with New England two years earlier.
What led to Tanner McKee's benching?
McKee had a Milton-like origin story; he boosted his value in a Week 18 start for a team with nothing to play for in 2024. He was unable to impress in another meaningless Week 18 appearance last season and has thoroughly underwhelmed in games that actually matter in 2026.
In three games, McKee's -0.074 expected points added (EPA) per dropback ranks 34th out of 37 quarterbacks to take at least 64 snaps this season. He's thrown nine deep balls (more than 20 yards downfield) in three games. He completed one -- to the Washington Commanders. His offense is averaging 15 points per game.
Philadelphia lost by double digits in each of those showdowns. With Sirianni's seat growing hotter and little downside to making a change, the Eagles shuffled their quarterback deck.
What does Joe Milton bring to the Eagles' offense?
Milton has a cannon arm that should, theoretically, open up more opportunities downfield. 22 of Milton's 53 career NFL passeshave gone at least 10 yards downfield (41.5 percent). He's completed 12 of them (54.5 percent). For comparison, only 26.3 percent of McKee's passes have traveled that far and he's completed 36.7 percent of those attempts in 2026.
Milton is also a useful runner who gained 50 yards on the ground last season on only five attempts. That allows Sirianni and offensive coordinator Sean Mannion to incorporate a little more of the Hurts playbook in hopes of a revival.
The downside? Milton only has one speed when it comes to throwing. Touch is more of a theory than a proven hypothesis for him. The ball explodes from his hand. Where it ends up can be a mystery; he had justa 65 percent on-target rate with the Cowboys. He's got plenty of gunslinger in his quarterback DNA, which means accepting a whole bunch of stupid risks and some occasionally breathtaking rewards.
Will this switch work? Given Dallas' preference to leave him on the practice squad, the odds aren't in Milton's favor. But the Eagles need to do something to break out of this funk. If nothing else, Milton will be a neon sign compared to McKee's flickering reading lamp behind center.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Why Joe Milton, not Tanner McKee, will start for the Eagles in Week 9
