In a surprising development, Philadelphia Eagles star quarterback Jalen Hurts won't suit up in Week 6 due to a superficial blood clot. Backup Tanner McKee will get the nod, putting the club in similar circumstances to the Jameis Winston-led New York Giants.
First and foremost, our thoughts are with Hurts and his family during this time. Football is at its best when the greatest players are on the field, so hopefully he's back soon and better than ever. However, the show goes on in Philadelphia, and it's the next man up, springing McKee into action.
With their respective ships helmed by No. 2 passers, New York and Philadelphia are suddenly in comparable boats, and things can still get interesting. The Dallas Cowboys' defense remains a major liability, and the Washington Commanders aren't too serious a threat. It's a wide-open divisional race, but don't count out McKee and Co., because they could follow in the first-place Giants' footsteps.
Tanner McKee could give the Eagles the same jolt Jameis Winston did for the Giants
Winston has been a stabilizing force for a G-Men squad that lost franchise signal-caller Jaxson Dart to a season-ending knee injury. It hasn't always been pretty, to say the least, but the team hasn't lost in the former's first three starts (although they did tie Washington). McKee providing the same kind of spark isn't far-fetched, and Big Blue Nation ought to be more mindful of that than anyone.
New York has had to completely change their offensive approach on the fly after spending the entire offseason tailoring to Dart's strengths. Out are the designed QB rushes and extend plays that his mobility offered. In are the traditional under-center approach and a heavy dose of 21 personnel (two running backs, one tight end, two wide receivers).
The Eagles' transition from Hurts to McKee may deliver a parallel shift in their game plan. The latter prefers to stand in the pocket and has the size (6-foot-6, 231 pounds) and arm strength to attack opponents downfield. Sound familiar, Giants fans?
There's no denying that Philly hasn't lived up to their lofty expectations heading into 2026 and appears to be trending downward. That doesn't mean we should overlook them moving forward, even with McKee replacing Hurts. They still have the infrastructure of a playoff contender, boasting All-Pro-level talent on all three levels of the defense.
Why Tanner McKee may not yield the same results as Jameis Winston
Common denominators between the Giants' and Eagles' current states; lest we forget, there are also notable differences. McKee, 26, is inheriting a much more unstable environment for an organization that's falling apart at the seams, specifically on offense. Winston, a 12-year veteran, took over a group with two target-commanding pass catchers, standout wideout Malik Nabers and tight end Isaiah Likely.
As crazy as it sounds, Philly is down to the fourth-string running back and missing its top two WRs. Oh, and they just lost their future Hall of Fame right tackle to an impromptu retirement. Hurts was barely getting by, which certainly dampens McKee's outlook.
McKee, whom the Eagles selected in the sixth round of the 2023 draft, has notched two career starts. He torched the Giants in a meaningless 2024 regular-season finale win. The Stanford product completed 27 of 41 passes (65.9 percent) for 269 yards and two touchdowns, taking two sacks for a loss of 17 yards.
Philadelphia conducted an ultrasound "out of an abundance of caution," which revealed a superficial blood clot, according to their official statement. Follow-up imaging showed "movement in the small blood clot," so they ruled Hurts out for their upcoming matchup with the Carolina Panthers.
Considering Hurts and the Eagles are still gathering, we're all in wait-and-see mode. He's sidelined "indefinitely," per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, who noted that blood clot absences are typically "measured in months, not weeks."
Hurts is getting treatment and "off field until his medical situation is solved," Rapoport mentioned, who added that's "probably going to be a while."
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