The Philadelphia Eagles are going to be without Jalen Hurts for at least one game and quite possibly more while the team’s starting quarterback is treated for a “small blood clot.”
NFL insider Ian Rapoport said Hurts is “out indefinitely.”
We’re all rooting for his health to improve.
In the meantime, the Eagles have to navigate the rest of the 2026 season.
So, what are they going do?
Here are some thoughts.
Tanner McKee is set to start against the Carolina Panthers despite a turbulent offseason.
The 2026 offseason began with McKee coming off a less than inspiring Week 18 showing where the Eagles rested their starters ahead of the playoffs. There was thought McKee, who had previously flashed in limited preseason and regular season game action, might be able to beat the Washington Commanders in that regular season finale.
But he wasn’t.
He didn’t play very well, logging a 68.9 passer rating.
In fairness, he did look better when DeVonta Smith was in the game early on to help put him over 1,000 receiving yards last season. And then a lot worse once Smith left. And even thought he was going up against a bad and injured Washington team, they still had actual NFL starters playing while the Eagles mostly did not.
This less than stellar performance seemingly shook the Eagles’ confidence in McKee because the team decided to trade for Andy Dalton. At first, it was thought Dalton was brought in just to be the Eagles’ third quarterback (even the team back-channeled as much to reporters).
But then OTAs began and Dalton was taking the bulk of second-team QB reps. At the time, the Eagles insisted they were rotating QB2 reps between Dalton and McKee. And that’s what we saw take place during training camp and the preseason games.
The problem: there was never a clear-cut winner by the time the regular season rolled around. Both players struggled to play well, perhaps in part because they rotated reps instead of being able to enjoy more consistency.
Leading into Week 1, the Eagles were still splitting QB2 reps. But then it was made clear that Dalton was Hurts’ backup with the Eagles designating McKee as the emergency third quarterback.
Dalton was thrust into action during the Eagles’ Week 3 loss to the Chicago Bears. The Eagles shouldn’t have asked him to throw the ball in a goal-to-go situation but they did and his sole pass in the game was picked off by a rookie safety. Makai Lemon reportedly ran the wrong route on the play but it was still a terrible decision by a veteran quarterback turning 39 in late October.
Following Week 3, the Eagles decided to switch things up and make McKee QB2 again, as he always should have been. While McKee did not do enough to clear outplay Dalton in the offseason, he did show promise in the past and Dalton mostly stunk it up since joining the Eagles. Nor was he any good for the Carolina Panthers in 2025.
It’s not easy to imagine McKee will thrive this Sunday. The Eagles’ offense wasn’t looking great prior to injury issues but those problems have certainly not helped spark a turnaround. It’s looking like McKee could be without DeVonta Smith and Saquon Barkley. He’s also going to be playing behind an offensive line that looks something like this:
- LT Jordan Mailata
- LG Willie Lampkin? Landon Dickerson?
- C Jake Majors?
- RG Tyler Steen
- RT Markel Bell
It’ll be interesting to see if there are any notable stylistic differences between Sean Mannion calling the game for Hurts versus McKee. But, again, I’m not expecting the results to suddenly be pretty.
Though, if you’re looking for reason for optimism, the Panthers’ defense might be fairly gettable. They’re banged up at cornerback with starters Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson both on injured reserve.
Cole Payton could eventually warrant some playing time.
Honestly, there’s a strong case to be made the Eagles should just be starting Payton now.
They probably won’t do that.
Although it’s not like McKee has a ton of experience (just two career starts), he is the more proven option than a Day 3 rookie from the 2026 NFL Draft.
But McKee is also going to be a free agent after this season. Maybe the Eagles feel like they can showcase him a little bit before trading him ahead of the 2026 NFL trade deadline. Or maybe they feel like McKee can factor into their compensatory pick formula by signing with a new team in 2027 NFL free agency.
But maybe McKee just isn’t that good and there really isn’t much to be learned by playing a subpar quarterback on the final year of his contract.
By contrast, Payton could be a long-term factor for this team, whether that’s as a backup or a starter (more likely the former than the latter).
Payton offered some intrigue in offseason practices and limited preseason action. He has a penchant for being overly aggressive, so, there might be a lot of turnovers and growing pains. But there’s some level of admiration to be had for how fearless he is. Plus, he can at least run around a bit.
If the Eagles are going to concede that 2026 just isn’t their season, they should play Payton.
At the very least, they should have Payton be their backup behind McKee.
Reporting suggest the Eagles might bring Andy Dalton back. There’s really no good reason to do that. The case would be that he gives the Eagles a better chance to win now than Payton does. The problem is that’s not even necessarily true. And there’s just nothing to be learned from Dalton playing if the season is truly lost. I imagine the Eagles and a lot of fans aren’t willing to throw in the towel just yet.
But, for the betterment of the team moving forward, it’s most helpful for them to be honest about their 2026 outlook and focus on the future.
Which brings us to our next point …
The Eagles should shift their focus beyond the 2026 season.
To be clear, no one is reasonably suggesting that the Eagles should ACTIVELY try to lose games. This isn’t about tanking. It’s about not making decisions that only focus on maximizing wins in 2026. It’s about taking a long-term view and being willing to sell players ahead of the 2026 NFL trade deadline if there are strong offers to be accepted. It’s also about finding playing time for players who could be long-term contributors … as opposed to any overreliance on stop-gap veterans who won’t be here after this season.
The Eagles being bad this year doesn’t have to be a bad thing for them in 2027, especially if they play their cards right in this stretch.
Yes, the Eagles are only a couple plays away from being 4-1. But they just haven’t played well this season:
The NFC East might be bad enough for the Eagles to win a lousy division, even with Hurts missing time. But merely making the playoffs shouldn’t the goal for this team. They should (and normally do) strive for legitimate championship contention. I’m sorry but they’re just not winning the Super Bowl this year.
