By Jimmy Kempski
Over the next three or so weeks (basically whenever there isn’t other news to cover), we’ll take a look at every player on the Philadelphia Eagles’ roster, and how they fit with the team heading into training camp. As always, we’ll start with the quarterback factory.
Jalen Hurts
With each new training camp, it’s interesting how the pressure on Hurts has risen and fallen each year:
• 2021: Hurts was essentially given a tryout as the starting QB after the team traded Carson Wentz and didn’t add another starting-caliber vet. That camp felt like it was high on curiosity about what Hurts was, but low on expectations.
• 2022: After a season in which Hurts led the Eagles to the playoffs, his strengths and weaknesses became more defined. The Eagles wanted to trade for Deshaun Watson or Russell Wilson, but when both quarterbacks expressed that they did not want to play in Philly, Hurts was essentially given a second tryout year. This was the first training camp that Hurts faced real pressure to perform.
• 2023: Coming off a Super Bowl appearance in which he was the best player on the field in the Super Bowl, Hurts cemented himself as the unquestioned franchise quarterback, signing a lucrative contract in the process. Pressure was off.
• 2024: After the Eagles’ late season collapse in 2023, questions about Hurts’ play on the field and relationship with Nick Sirianni off of it emerged. His starting job was never in any sort of peril, but the pressure was back on for him to perform at a high level.
• 2025: Hurts will enter training camp as the reigning Super Bowl MVP. There will be no negative spotlight on him.
Hurts looked sharp during spring practices. He consistently made quick decisions, and the ball rarely touched the ground. One thing I’ll be watching for this summer is how much he attempts to build rapport with receivers not named A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Dallas Goedert.
Tanner McKee
During free agency, the Eagles traded Kenny Pickett to the Browns for Thompson-Robinson and a fifth-round pick. That move paved the way for McKee to become the QB2 behind Hurts.
McKee got his first taste of real NFL game action when he entered a Week 17 game against Dallas in relief of an injured Pickett. He was terrific, finishing 3-for-4 for 54 yards, two TDs, 0 INTs, and a QB rating of 156.2.
McKee then started in the Eagles’ meaningless Week 18 game against the Giants, and picked up where he left off the previous week, going 3/3 for 48 yards and a TD pass on the Eagles’ first drive. At that point in the game, his career numbers were as follows: 6/7 for 102 yards, 3 TDs. McKee cooled off a bit as the game progressed, but he did enough to pick up a win in his first career start.
We published a review of McKee’s performances in those two games on Tuesday.
As noted within that piece, what stood out about McKee’s performances was that he was mentally prepared to play when his number was called.
If McKee performs in camp and the preseason games in 2025 like he did in 2023 and 2024, he should easily solidify his spot as Hurts’ primary backup.
Kyle McCord
McCord was a big-time recruit coming out of high school, as he was named a top 50 prospect by the three major recruiting websites — ESPN (31st) Rivals (35th) and 24/7 (49th). He was even offered a scholarship to play at Boston College when he was in eighth grade.
He enrolled at Ohio State, but sat his first two seasons behind C.J. Stroud before becoming the starter his junior year in 2023. He had an inconsistent season, but still led the Buckeyes to an 11-0 record to start the season before losing to rival Michigan and missing out on a chance to go to the 2023 College Football Playoff. McCord soon after entered the transfer portal, before Ohio State played Missouri in the Cotton Bowl that season.
McCord would eventually reveal that he transferred because head coach Ryan Day would not assure him of a starting spot the following season. He landed at Syracuse, and in 2024, playing in a pass-happy system, he averaged 368 passing yards per game. He completed 391 of 592 passes for an FBS-leading 4779 yards, 34 TDs, and 12 INTs.
As a player, McCord is probably best known for his willingness to push the ball down the field. He finished his college career with an 8.6 yards per pass attempt average, and, I mean, you don’t throw for almost 5,000 yards in a season without taking some risks. He has adequate size at 6’3, 218, and he can throw with some zip into the intermediate areas of the field.
On the downside, McCord isn’t a threat as a runner, so he is going to spend most of his time in the pocket. He also has a bit of a windup in his delivery, which allows an extra split second for pass rushers to get home or defensive backs to make plays on the football.
College highlights:
You can usually tell pretty quickly if a young quarterback just isn’t going to make it. Examples of past players who got off to bad starts and then never recovered were Clayton Thorson and Carson Strong. McCord is not one of those guys. He made several impressive throws over the middle of the field throughout the spring, and seems to carry himself with some swagger and confidence. At a minimum, he is going to make the team.
McCord is two years behind McKee in the Eagles’ playbook and McKee has had success in real NFL games. It is unlikely that McCord will be able to bypass McKee for the QB2 job unless McKee is really bad and McCord is exceptional.
Dorian Thompson-Robinson
As noted above, Thompson-Robinson was acquired in the Pickett trade. The Eagles brought Thompson-Robinson in for a pre-draft visit in 2023, so they’ve had some level of interest in him for years.
Thompson-Robinson has five career NFL starts, and a 1-4 record. He has 1 career TD pass, and 10 INTs.
After the Eagles selected McCord in the 2025 draft, Thompson-Robinson’s chances of making the team dropped significantly. The Eagles could try to showcase Thompson-Robinson during the preseason and dangle him as bait for some team looking for a QB3. Maybe Howie can squeeze a 7 out of someone?
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