Tanner McKee Outperforms Kenny Pickett for Eagles Against the Patriots — ‘Interesting QB2 Situation in Philly’

Philadelphia Eagles second-year quarterback Tanner McKee continues to make things interesting in the City of Brotherly Love.

Following another impressive preseason performance, could he beat out Kenny Pickett for the backup quarterback job?

It certainly seems possible, as Pickett has failed to impress during Philadelphia’s first two preseason games.

If McKee continues to play well, things could get interesting at QB2 for the Eagles.

Tanner McKee Shines Against the Patriots — Should He Be QB2?

Despite Pickett’s experience as a starting quarterback in the NFL, he has been outplayed by McKee in Philadelphia thus far.

Through the Eagles’ first two preseason games, Pickett has struggled to stay in the pocket and work through his progressions.

Meanwhile, McKee is standing tall in the pocket and slinging the ball downfield with confidence. In Philadelphia’s preseason opener, McKee averaged just 2.4 yards per passing attempt, which certainly wasn’t helped by dropped passes.

Yet McKee bounced back in a major way against the Patriots, as the second-year quarterback completed several passes down the field, averaging 7.4 yards per attempt.

McKee completed 15 of his 19 passes for 140 passing yards, highlighted by a 28-yard connection with wide receiver Joseph Ngata.

Through two preseason games, the difference between McKee and Pickett’s passing charts is quite eye-opening.

Here’s a look at Pickett’s preseason passing chart, courtesy of TruMedia.

It’s clear to see that Pickett has struggled to throw the ball further than 10 yards down the field. All six of his attempts further than 10 yards downfield have been incomplete.

Now, compare that to McKee’s preseason passing chart, courtesy of TruMedia.

McKee has attempted a total of six passes further than 10 yards down the field and has completed three of them. While McKee certainly favors targeting the right side of the field, the talent level of the personnel that he’s surrounded with is certainly a factor.

McKee’s performance was so encouraging that NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo posted about it on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday night.

Garafolo believes there’s an “interesting QB2 situation” brewing in Philadelphia.

#Eagles QB Tanner McKee was 15-for-19 for 140 yards tonight and showed some impressive poise on a few throws tonight with traffic around him. Interesting QB2 situation in Philly. pic.twitter.com/ODm2fy2jpN

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) August 16, 2024

Eagles Dismiss QB2 Controversy Despite McKee’s Performance

While McKee caught the attention of the national media and many Eagles fans, the team quickly poured water on the situation.

Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni discussed the potential QB2 controversy during his postgame press conference.

“Kenny’s our No. 2, Tanner’s our No. 3, and I’m happy they’re both on the roster,” Sirianni said when asked about the quarterback situation, according to Brooks Kubena of The Athletic.

Given Pickett’s experience and pedigree as a former first-round pick, it would certainly be embarrassing for him to lose the backup quarterback job to McKee. Yet, the performance of each player on the field speaks for itself.

McKee has clearly outplayed Pickett through the team’s first two preseason games, even if Sirianni doesn’t want to admit it just yet.

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In an oddly timed sequence during the Eagles’ broadcast of the game on Thursday night, team reporter Dave Spadaro suddenly chimed in on the quarterback situation.

“The Eagles are really happy with Kenny Pickett. Kenny Pickett is the No. 2 quarterback behind Jalen Hurts,” Spadaro said, according to Brandon Lee Gowton of Bleeding Green Nation. “It’s Kenny Pickett’s job at No. 2.”

Another interesting situation on Thursday night was McKee’s reps on the field, as he was first pulled after two promising drives and replaced by Will Grier. Many on social media began to speculate whether McKee was pulled because he was now in the running for QB2.

Then suddenly, McKee re-entered the game and led the Eagles to victory in Foxborough. It was certainly an odd sequence that couldn’t overshadow McKee’s promising showing.

While the team continues to deny that McKee is in the running for the backup quarterback job, another strong performance in the team’s preseason finale could make things interesting in Philadelphia.