Eagles sixth-round pick has earned right to back up Jalen Hurts

Rookie Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Tanner McKee may have ended the debate over who will be Jalen Hurts' backup with another solid performance in Week 3 of the preseason. It's his job. Or, at the very least, it should be.

His main competition for the role is former No. 2 overall pick Marcus Mariota. The veteran signal-caller wasn't given much of an opportunity against Indianapolis on Thursday and failed to make a positive impression in his first two outings.

Mariota ended the preseason 17-of-30 (56.6 percent) for 165 yards and an interception.

McKee got a much more extensive look and made the most of it. He was 39-of-72 (54.2 percent) for 453 yards and a touchdown and looked poised leading the offense.

A sixth-round pick (188th overall) in the 2023 NFL Draft, McKee, 23, played three seasons at Stanford, starting the last two. He was better than his number indicated and showed during the past three games a lot of the flashes that made him one of the biggest sleepers at quarterback in the 2023 class.

This preseason, McKee has made sound decisions, was poised in tough situations and showed solid mechanics. In a halftime interview with "Thursday Night Football" sideline reporter Kaylee Hartung, head coach Nick Sirianni praised the rookie, saying, "He knows where to go with the football. He's had a really good preseason. I was impressed by the two-minute drive out there against some of their starters."

If he finishes as Hurts' backup, that two-minute drive will likely factor heavily into the equation.

Philadelphia received the ball with 1:55 remaining in the first half and McKee marched the Eagles downfield by going a perfect 6-of-6 for 58 yards before a Joseph Ngata fumble ended a potential scoring drive inside the Colts' 20-yard line.

When reflecting on his preseason, McKee said, "In a nutshell, little details matter."