Eagles Turn to Joe Milton as Tanner McKee Era Fades

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Joe Milton Replaces Tanner McKee as Eagles’ Starting Quarterback

The Eagles are turning to Joe Milton as their starting quarterback against the Giants after seeing enough from Tanner McKee. The move comes a couple of years after some Eagles fans viewed McKee as a potential future starter and questioned why Jalen Hurts was playing ahead of him.

One speaker admitted he had been among McKee’s supporters and expected him to play his way into a starting role next season. He said Milton may give Philadelphia a slightly better chance to win because of his ability to run, even if he is not necessarily a better quarterback than McKee.

Philadelphia was described as one of several teams that are difficult to bet on right now, along with the Chargers and Colts. The late-season performances of those teams were compared to the NBA in late March and April, when some teams appear to be chasing the bottom and positioning themselves for future draft picks.

The Eagles’ injuries and recent play have only added to the concern. Barkley is barely healthy, Smith is not healthy, and the team struggled badly against Washington. This was described as a rare season in which Philadelphia could lose 11 or 12 games.

The situation is especially surprising because Howie Roseman has pushed many of the right buttons in Philadelphia over the years. However, the setup involving Nick Sirianni, the offense and the quarterback room always appeared fragile. The Eagles carried four quarterbacks entering the season, with Andy Dalton expected to push McKee. Dalton threw an interception in the end zone during his first game and was promptly released. McKee then received his opportunity, but the team is now moving to Milton, who was not previously on the roster.

None of it has gone according to plan, including the expectation that Sean Mannion would become the new offensive guru. The Eagles were criticized for underestimating the need for quarterback depth despite the possibility of Hurts being unavailable. Another view was that legitimate backup quarterbacks are difficult to find across the NFL, particularly in the middle of a season unless a team makes a trade.