Kerr: Eagles Are Hiding The Backup QB For A Reason -- They Don't Have One

Nick Sirianni knew the question was coming. He didn't hesitate to give the answer.

Who's the backup quarterback?

"We don't have to make that decision quite yet or announce that decision," Sirianni said. "I think for competitive reasons, again, I don't want them to be able to study one guy over the other.

"I'm not saying we don't have an answer of who that is yet, but I just don't have to share that quite yet publicly."

Translation -- We don't have a backup quarterback so we won't name one.

The Eagles are keeping things close to the vest regarding their QB2, a higher level of secrecy for them. The answer wasn't expected to come out of Sirianni's mouth, but read between the words that are given (and Tanner McKee's for that matter).

Do is really matter if the QB2 is Tanner McKee or Andy Dalton if Jalen Hurts is healthy? Not at all, which is why the Washington Commanders aren't game planning or either of them.

It would be a waste of time if they did, anyway. The Eagles don't have a backup quarterback, or else they would name one on the depth chart.

Neither McKee nor Dalton separated themselves from the other this summer. Dalton seemed to have a better grasp of the offense than McKee did, but struggled enough in live game reps to allow McKee back in the race.

When McKee had his opportunity to seize the job, he looked like a deer in the headlights in the Eagles' preseason finale. The Eagles viewed the competition as a totality between the spring practices, training camp, and preseason to determine a winner -- yet won't reveal who the "winner" is.

What's the big secret behind the QB2? Let the speculation begin.

The backup QB doesn't matter right?

Who the QB2 is should matter in Philadelphia, as the Eagles won their first Super Bowl title behind a backup quarterback. Neither McKee nor Dalton are Nick Foles, and certainly aren't going to play at the level Foles did in that 2017 season.

If Jalen Hurts does have to miss a week or two with an injury, the Eagles have to trust either McKee or Dalton to keep the offense moving. They don't trust eitehr at this point, or else they would reveal who it is.

Keeping this a secret from the opposing team is hiding which of the two struggling quarterbacks from this summer the Comamnders -- or any other opponent -- can tee off on.

The Commanders didn't game plan for Kenny Pickett to shut him down two years ago, and he needed a different game plan than Hurts. Knowing Gardner Minshew or Marcus Mariota was the backup didn't affect the Eagles or their opponents before, neither did McKee last year.

The Eagles aren't going to win a championship with McKee nor Dalton playing the majority of the season, but one of them have to be trusted to win a game or two if Hurts goes down.

They have four quarterbacks on the roster for a reason.

Will McKee or Dalton be on the move?

This is the decision the Eagles don't have to make yet, whether they know who the QB2 is or not.

The Eagles didn't get the offer they wanted for McKee or Dalton, valuing the quarterback position in high regards. That philosophy has been consistent in this regime for years, so they aren't hiding anything in that regard.

The trade deadline isn't until November 10, so the Eagles have over two months to find a quarterback needy team. Maybe the Eagles won't have to reveal if it's McKee or Dalton at all -- at leats until they trade one of them.

If the Eagles keep four quarterbacks all year, it would be stunning. At some point, they'll ahve to move on from Mckee or Dalton -- and it certainly won't be Cole Payton.

This isn't a call the Eagles have to make now, but at some point they'll have to show their hand. Let's hope it isn't if Hurts has to exit the game.

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