Not long after reclaiming his backup role with the Philadelphia Eagles, quarterback Tanner McKee is being pushed into the top job on short notice.
McKee will begin his stint as the Eagles' starter against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, Oct. 18, after Jalen Hurts was ruled out with a blood clot and later placed on injured reserve.
The start will be just the third of McKee's career as well as easily the most meaningful action of his four-year pro career. He previously led the offense in a pair of Week 18 contests that had minimal stakes.
On Sunday, however, he'll be tasked with stopping Philadelphia from sinking to 2-4 and suffering its first four-game losing skid in a decade.
The latest promotion for McKee comes less than a week after he reclaimed the second-string job from veteran Andy Dalton, who was released Oct. 9 after throwing an interception upon stepping in for Hurts in a Week 3 loss to the Chicago Bears.
Here's everything to know about the Eagles' temporary QB1:
Who is Tanner McKee?
A sixth-round pick out of Stanford in 2023, McKee stirred intrigue in his first training camp and preseason, though he did not play as a rookie.
In his second season, however, McKee got his chance to showcase his skill set on a larger stage. Taking the starting reins for Week 18 with Philadelphia already having secured the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs, McKee threw for 269 yards and two touchdowns in a win over the New York Giants.
He again built a buzz the following preseason, when his standout performances in an exhibition setting helped him secure the backup role behind Hurts. Beyond mop-up duty in a December rout of the Las Vegas Raiders, however, McKee only saw significant action in the regular-season finale against the Washington Commanders, in which he completed 21 of 40 passes for 241 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
More: Experts explain why Jalen Hurts' blood clot diagnosis warrants caution
In March, the Eagles acquired Dalton in a trade with the Carolina Panthers. The 16-year veteran initially beat out McKee, who had an uneven training camp and preseason, for the second-string job, though coach Nick Sirianni didn't announce at the start of the season who would hold the role.
"We felt like (Dalton) was the best person for the job, that won the job," Sirianni said in mid-September. "That has no indication of how we feel of Tanner. We just – that's who won the job throughout camp.
"But roles and spots on the depth chart are never set in stone. They're still competing, they're still working, and we'll be evaluating, like with everything, all the time. But at the end of the day, that's why."
At 6-6 and 231 pounds, McKee strikes a sharp contrast with the stockier Hurts. As he enters the final year of his rookie contract, the 26-year-old now gets at least one game in the spotlight as he heads for free agency next March.
Even with Jalen Hurts in lineup, Eagles' offense was sputtering
McKee will be far from the only fill-in taking the field for the Eagles' offense on Sunday.
Running back Saquon Barkley will miss another game with a hamstring injury that kept him out of action in last week's loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, so McKee will likely be left handing off to the No. 4 option in the backfield in Dameon Pierce. Backup Tank Bigsby was placed on injured reserve on Oct. 6 due to an ailment that requires core muscle surgery, and Will Shipley is expected to be out multiple weeks after suffering a partial tear of his plantar fascia in the loss to the Jaguars.
Lane Johnson's retirement and a trade that sent Cam Jurgens to the Baltimore Ravens also forced a reshuffling along the offensive line, which was further complicated by center Drew Kendall being ruled out against Jacksonville. Meanwhile, wide receiver DeVonta Smith has been sidelined with a hamstring issue, but he is slated to return.
The mounting injuries have taken a clear toll on a Philadelphia offense that was already struggling to adapt to new coordinator Sean Mannion's schematic shift. Through five weeks, the Eagles rank 30th in expected points added per play (-0.21) and last in pressure rate allowed (45.9%), according to Next Gen Stats.
The attack has often sputtered the worst down the stretch. In the second halves of its last three games, Philadelphia has just three total points and has gone three-and-out on 10 of its 18 drives.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is Tanner McKee? Meet QB filling in for Eagles with Jalen Hurts out