Sirianni on McKee: ‘Yeah, he did a really nice job’
Goforitradio Staff
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Despite it being preseason, Tanner McKee, the Eagles’ backup quarterback, is proving to be an elite backup signal caller.
On Thursday night, the Eagles hosted the Cincinnati Bengals in their preseason debut, and McKee was special. He led Philadelphia on five scoring drives in just over three quarters of action. McKee completed 20-of-25 passes for 252 yards and two touchdown passes, and he added a rushing touchdown as the Eagles defeated the Bengals 34-27 at Lincoln Financial Field.
On the Eagles’ opening drive, McKee led the team on a nine-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a McKee tush-push touchdown. In the second quarter, McKee drove the team 47 yards in six plays, and that drive culminated with a 44-yard field goal from Jake Elliott. Later in the quarter, McKee and the Eagles marched 72 yards in 10 plays, which ended with a six-yard touchdown reception by Ainias Smith.
Before the end of the first half, McKee connected with Darius Cooper on a beautiful 20-yard touchdown pass.
In the third quarter, McKee would lead the team on a 13-play, 61-yard drive, which ended with a 23-yard Jake Elliott field goal, and he would be finished for the night.
“It felt good, felt like we were moving the ball, which is always fun,” McKee said. “Obviously, we’ll watch film and you never really know until you watch film. There are things that like, ‘Oh man, I missed that’ or whatever. But overall, moved the ball well, had a lot of guys that made great plays. So the feeling is good.”
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni says he liked what he saw from McKee.
“He played good,” he said. “No, he did a lot of good things. Went to the right place with the football, was accurate. Had really good operation, him and [Offensive Coordinator] Kevin [Patullo], a lot of communication. And [Quarterbacks Coach] Scot [Loeffler]. Yeah, he did a really nice job.”
The Eagles are undoubtedly feeling reassured about their backup quarterback situation. If anything were to happen to Jalen Hurts, McKee has proven that he’s more than capable of stepping up and keeping the team’s momentum going. In addition, he’s probably shown enough for teams around the league to believe that he could be a legitimate starter in the NFL.
