Jalen Hurts will miss the rest of the 2026 NFL season due to blood clots in his lungs. Tanner McKee stumbled through an uneven and uninspiring Week 6 loss to the Carolina Panthers. Andy Dalton was released, then politely declined when asked to return.
It's been a brutal year for Philadelphia Eagles quarterbacks. But with the NFC East as winnable as its ever been, it may not be a fatal one.
Nick Sirianni's team has slipped to 2-4 after a 2-0 start, but only trails a 3-2-1 New York Giants team, similarly without its starting quarterback, for the division crown. General manager Howie Roseman has excelled at building championship rosters in Philadelphia. Now he faces one of his biggest challenges yet.
There are a few paths he can take. He's already
made one move, signing Dallas Cowboys practice squad passer Joe Milton III to the active roster after Dalton demurred. The trade deadline is more than three weeks away. Veteran free agents remain available, though the pickings are slim.
Let's break down what those options are for the Eagles. And let's keep them in the realm of the reasonable. Justin Herbert may be a buy-low candidate on an 0-6 team, but he's also signed through 2029 and carries salary cap hits Philadelphia cannot afford. He's not going to be an Eagle, even if adding him would keep AM radio healthy through the next decade.
Let's run down the options, rolling from most to least likely.
1. Stick with McKee and see if he can boost his trade value
Reports suggested Roseman dangled McKee in trade talks put put an early Day 2 draft pick price tag on him. That could have been a statement unto itself -- we believe in this young passer and it will take a godfather deal to pry him away -- and it suggests there will be a moderate runway for the former Stanford star to get airborne.
McKee threw 45 passes Sunday but had only a single completion that covered more than 15 air yardsdespite trailing all afternoon at home. He was also done zero favors by a non-existent run game that should improve when Saquon Barkley returns to the lineup. He deserves more time to prove he can make things work, and the state of the NFC East suggests Philly can overcome a couple more brutal starts.
Plus, that one completion of 15-plus air yards was pretty nice.
Welcome back, Smitty 🤌 pic.twitter.com/O5xSoPZK1m
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) October 18, 2026
2. See if Joe Milton can be more than a one-hit wonder
Milton's lone game as a rookie prevented the New England Patriots from clinching the top pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, costing the franchise key roster building capital and giving the Buffalo Bills a fun new way to win while losing. He was traded to the Dallas Cowboys soon after, where the rocket-armed passer failed to establish himself as a reliable backup to Dak Prescott and was shuttled to the practice squad, where he lingered before Roseman signed him before Week 6.
Milton has only really played in mop-up appearances for teams with nothing to lose. That's given him carte blanche to launch the ball downfield -- his average target distance is more than 10 yards downfield as a pro. That makes him the broke man's Jameis Winston, which could be hilarious for a matchup against the New York Giants, who field the poor man's Jameis Winston (J.J. McCarthy) and actual Jameis Winston (Jameis Winston).
3. Trade for Justin Fields
Fields was the contingency plan in case Patrick Mahomes' recovery from the torn ACL kept him from starting the 2026 season. Instead, Mahomes recovered quickly and the former first round pick has played a single snap this fall. His dual-threat capabilities would allow Sirianni to keep aspects of Hurts' offense installed and make for an easier transition should Fields join his third locker room of the past year.
He's inconsistent and sloppy, with wild variance from snap to snap capable of delivering dizzying highs and crushing lows. That's perfect for a level-headed fan base known for its reasonable reactions. If the Chiefs believe Garrett Nussmeier can handle QB2 duties, he may be available.
4. Trade for Mac Jones
Jones has been better more recently than Fields, but his price will be higher -- especially playing on a San Francisco 49ers roster perpetually riddled with injuries. The one-time Pro Bowler (remember, that's especially meaningless for quarterbacks) had a career-best 97.4 passer rating last fall in place of Brock Purdy. He also largely operated a low-risk, run-after-catch heavy Kyle Shanahan offense in which he threw deep only 5.5 percent of the time-- a career low. If Roseman prizes stability over ceiling, Jones may be worth a hefty price tag for a fill-in in what could be a lost season.
5. Sign Will Levis off the New York Jets' practice squad
Yeah, it's not great out here. A Milton/Levis combination is the NFL equivalent of buying a whole outfit at the dollar store. Levis has a big arm and a concerning disregard for his own safety as a runner.
He also hasn't appeared in a regular season game since 2024 and failed to make the Jets' active roster. But playing in a lineup with trustworthy options like DeVonta Smith and Saquon Barkley could lift some weight from his shoulders and give him the safety valves needed to prove his worth as a passer. It's a longshot, but it also wouldn't cost Roseman anything beyond a roster spot.
6. Sign Jimmy Garoppolo
The biggest name on a picked-over free agent pile is a 34-year-old, one-time Super Bowl quarterback. His last start came in 2024. While he performed efficiently, it was also in a Week 18 matchup after the Rams had already clinched the NFC West title. He's never been a downfield savant, and his average pass in his lone start with Los Angeles traveled fewer than five yards beyond the line of scrimmage.
He may not want to return to the game. He may not be in game shape. But he's probably worth a call.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: 6 Eagles quarterback options with Jalen Hurts out for the rest of 2026
