PHILADELPHIA − When Tanner McKee takes the field against the Dallas Cowboys as the starting quarterback, he'll survey the offensive players around him.
There's a good chance that when he looks out wide to his left and right, he won't see his top two receivers in DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks. When he leans in to take the snap, he'll notice center Drew Kendall wearing a knee brace and left guard Landon Dickerson, a former Pro Bowl player, coming off another knee injury with a pectoral muscle strain added to his list of maladies.
It's quite possible that Dallas Goedert won't be lined up at tight end, replaced by either aging veteran Zach Ertz coming off a torn ACL or rookie Eli Stowers coming off an IR stint of his own. Stowers has never played in an NFL game.
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McKee won't have Hall of Fame right tackle Lane Johnson protecting him. Johnson retired abruptly on Oct. 6. Or Pro Bowl center Cam Jurgens. He was traded to Baltimore the day after Johnson retired.
In fact, it's quite possible that the only skill position player remaining from when the season started will be running back Saquon Barkley, who's expected to return after missing the previous two games, and most of a third, with a hamstring injury.
That shows what Jalen Hurts was dealing with before his season ended because of blood clots that traveled to his lungs.
It's not that McKee is dreading the opportunity. Far from it. He was drafted in the sixth round in 2023, and he's only making his fourth career start.
McKee is in the final season of his rookie contract. If McKee plays well over the final 11 games, he stands to make a lot of money in free agency, either as a starting quarterback or top backup somewhere. If he doesn't, the Eagles signed Joe Milton on Oct. 16.
"When you step into the huddle, you're expected to be the leader, know where everyone's supposed to be, get everybody on the right page," McKee said. "I feel like I've definitely taken an extra step forward in that I want the guys to trust me. I want the guys to know that when I go in there, they have full confidence that the offense is going to run smoothly, and I'm going to know what I'm supposed to do."
But it's not like McKee is dealing with a full deck of players. Assuming Smith, Wicks and Goedert don't play, the Eagles will be left with only four of 11 players who started Week 1 − Barkley at running back, Jordan Mailata at left tackle, Tyler Steen at right guard and Dickerson at left guard.
More incredibly, only two players (Mailata and Steen) will have started every game.
Reminder: We're only in Week 7.
In addition, the Eagles have a new offensive coordinator in Sean Mannion. For the most part, his plays aren't working, which prompted head coach Nick Sirianni to say that "everything is on the table" after the latest offensive indignity against the Panthers.
Mannion knows he has to cater some of the offense to McKee's skill set as opposed to Hurts'. That isn't the same.
"We've had six weeks of the regular season of practice, and the guy's been improving," Mannion said about McKee. "I think he's really sharp mentally. He's accurate. He gets the ball out of his hands quickly."
That's pretty much McKee's only chance against the Cowboys, with so many offensive weapons expected to sit out.
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Say goodbye to Hollywood (Brown)?
The NFL trade deadline is approaching, and Eagles WR Hollywood could be dealt, especially now that the Rams are dealing with injuries to both receivers in Puka Nacua and Davante Adams.
Brown had 587 yards receiving last season for the Chiefs, and is known as a speed receiver.
But Brown can't get on the field for the Eagles after signing a one-year contract as a free agent last March. Brown has played in only one game. He doesn't have any catches. Brown could get into his second game when the Eagles face the Cowboys if Smith and/or Wicks don't play.
Brown won't sugarcoat the fact this season hasn't worked out as expected, saying that he expected a bigger role before adding: "I do understand. Stuff happens. You can’t take nothing personal in this business, so you kind of just got to go about your process. And when that time happens, whatever happens, you just got to be ready for it."
Does Brown expect to be traded by the Nov. 10 deadline?
"I’m here right now just trying to play," he said. "Of course, you want to be somewhere where you play. But ultimately, at the end of the day, it’s not my plan."
That could change in the next few weeks.
The curious case of Jonathan Greenard, and his replacements
Edge rusher Jonathan Greenard was the Eagles' big offseason acquisition, with Eagles GM Howie Roseman trading two third-round picks to Minnesota (2026 and 2027) to get him, then signing him to a four-year extension worth as much as $100 million.
So far, the Eagles haven't gotten much from Greenard. He missed all of training camp and the first two games of the season with a pectoral muscle injury. He injured his ankle in his first game back, then played in two more games before re-injuring it against the Panthers.
Greenard has yet to record a sack. And he did not practice on Oct. 23. That's not a good sign that he'll be able to play.
In addition, the Eagles were without Jalyx Hunt (knee/ankle) and AJ Epenesa (back) against the Panthers. Then Nolan Smith left in the second quarter with a concussion. Hunt and Epenesa are expected back, but Smith and Greenard don't seem likely to play.
That left Arnold Ebiketie and rookie Keyshawn James-Newby to get practically all of the snaps at edge rusher in the second half. Ebiketie ended up playing 72 out of 79 snaps, including 65 in a row after Smith left. James-Newby played 48 snaps in his NFL debut.
"After a while, I pretty much figured out there was nobody coming to save me," Ebiketie said with a laugh. "So I just had to buck up and get the job done."
Ebiketie said he'll be ready if he's needed to play that much again, before adding with a laugh: "I hope I won't have to."
Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on X @Mfranknfl. Sign up for the "Eye On The Eagles" newsletter, emailed to your inbox every Friday morning. Read his coverage of the Eagles’ championship season in “Flying High,” a hardcover coffee-table book from Delaware Online/The News Journal. Details at Fly.ChampsBook.com
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: How Eagles put Tanner McKee in tough situation replacing Jalen Hurts
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