Eagles Would Be Prudent To Call Seahawks About Backup QB Options

There's a quarterback connendrum on the Philadelphia Eagles, and it doesn't involve the starting quarterback.

Thanks to Jalen Hurts, that hasn't been a problem in years. Neither has the backup quarterback situation, until this year.

With the Eagles refusing to unveil who the backup quarterback is, for competitive advantage purposes, the front office and coaching staff has led to assumptions from the outside world. The Eagles don't have a backup quarterback or they are trying to trade Tanner McKee or Andy Dalton.

Even McKee and Dalton are playing coy with the QB2 situation. In the words of McKee, he truly doesn't know.

Connendrum indeed.

What the Eagles are trying to do is simple. Hopefully find a trade partner for one of these quarterbacks. They do value the quarterback position, and have for years, but it's highly unlikely they go the whole season with four quarterbacks on the roster.

Either McKee or Dalton will be traded at some point, and the Eagles may have found a trade partner.

The Seattle Seahawks.

Why the Seahawks won't be a trade partner

Thanks to the Sam Darnold injury, the Seahawks are thin at quarterback. Drew Lock led Seattle from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter last night, going 5-of-7 for 84 yards and a touchdown for a 153.3 passer rating in the final quarter.

Lock will be the starting quarterback while Darnold is out with the hip injury -- for however long that is. The Seahawks don't need a starting quarterback. They might not need a QB2 either.

Jalen Milroe was Seattle's third-round pick last year, drafted as a project after the Seahawks signed Sam Darnold. With Darnold winning a Super Bowl, Milroe won't be starting in Seattle any time soon.

Lock is in the final year of his contract. So are Dalton and McKee, so the Seahawks wouldn't owe much in terms of compensation. If Seattle acquired either one of them, it would strictly be quarterback depth for a team that's still a Super Bowl contender -- and hoping for a repeat.

Seattle has Lock as the starter while Darnold is out. That isn't expected to change and Milroe was a Day 2 pick for a reason. The Seahawks aren't dumping him in year two.

Okay, let's discuss why they should consider it

Even though Lock played well in the fourth quarter in the opener, there are some concerns regarding his performance. Lock was just 3-of-6 on throws that traveled for 10+ air yards in Week 1, throwing for 58 yards and an 84.0 passer rating.

The Seahawks struggled to throw the ball downfield when Lock entered the game, which is expected given he's not the starter (even if he knows the offense). Lock only had one pass of 10+ air yards in the fourth quarter too, so the Seahawks were being conservative and not stretching the field.

Would McKee or Dalton be better than Lock? Perhaps McKee, since he is in the final year of his rookie deal and is 26 years old. Maybe the Seahawks take a chance on McKee as the QB2 this year and challenge Lock -- pending on how long Darnold is out.

Even if Darnold comes back in weeks, the Seahawks could do the Eagles strategy and keep four quarterbacks this year. Then make a decision on McKee or Lock next year.

Dalton could be a quick fix, but does it even make sense to add him to the depth chart? He may even be the Eagles QB2, so that might not be an option.

The Seahawks -- if they wanted to add depth at quarterback -- could call the Eagles. If Darnold is out a while, that changes the game.

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