Unexpected QB competition behind Jalen Hurts is becoming one of Eagles’ most intriguing preseason battles
QB2 battle heats up as rookie fifth-round pick Cole Payton makes his case over Tanner McKee.
The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback 2 situation needs a real conversation. I’ve been a huge Tanner McKee fan the last couple years. I’ve always said he should be the Eagles QB2 backing up Jalen Hurts. But I think we need to have a legit discussion about what’s happening under the center, not because of one preseason game, but because of what we saw last year combined with what we’re seeing now. Something happened to Tanner McKee, and I think Kevin Patullo legitimately messed him up with whatever he did to that offense.
The Mormon Missile, right? We gave him that nickname. Anytime we would see McKee before last season, he would come in and look like a starting-caliber quarterback. The precision, the accuracy, the velocity on his throws. McKee looked like a top 30 quarterback in the NFL. But ever since last season, he just looks like another guy. He looks like a late-round pick, which is what the Eagles drafted him to be. I just don’t see the same Tanner McKee. And Andy Dalton is 38 years old. I don’t think he should be on the roster either.
Cole Payton is making a real push
But this guy Cole Payton, who the Eagles went out and drafted in the fifth round, which seemed like an unpopular draft choice at the beginning? He’s not your typical 2026 quarterback. A little speedy lefty, this guy was making plays out there. He was running around, escaping the pocket. There was one play where he held the ball for over seven seconds before launching a touchdown into the back corner of the end zone. He looks like a guy.
Now we need to see it progress, but if Payton continues to play this way and his stock continues to go up, he may end up as the second quarterback on this roster. That’s how good he has looked throughout the summer, throughout training camp, and even in that preseason game. He looked better than McKee and Dalton, and I don’t think that’s an overreaction. If he continues to play that way, Howie Roseman is going to get a lot of high returns on a fifth-round pick.
You love to see a late-round quarterback come in and just command the field. Payton has that energy right now. He’s not playing like a guy trying to survive on the roster. He’s playing like a guy trying to take a job. And honestly, the competition should push everybody in that room to be better. If McKee can find whatever he lost under Patullo’s offense last year, great. But right now, Payton is the one flashing, and the Eagles have to take notice.
Markel Bell is becoming a monster
In addition to the Payton development, the other guy we have to talk about is Markel Bell. Bell is an absolute beast, and I’m starting to have a lot of confidence that if Lane Johnson can’t play this full season, if he goes down with injury, Bell is going to be able to step in whenever needed and get the job done. I’m not saying he’s going to be the best tackle in the NFL from Day 1. He has a lot of growing and developing to do. But he’s showing the signs of a tackle that you develop for a couple years who ends up becoming a guy for a decade or more. He already looks that good.
Six-foot-9, 346 pounds. He drove a grown man six yards backwards on a single run play. He’s a monster. Bell got the start at right tackle for a reason. We all talked about Fred Johnson and how Roseman went out and got some depth. I don’t think Fred is going to be that guy anymore. I think Bell is the new swing tackle, and I think Roseman invested in him in the draft for a reason.
Everybody thought that Howie might move up in the first round and make that big trade, get that Monroe Freeling guy from Georgia or one of these other players. He ended up drafting Makai Lemon. As of right now, that’s not looking too hot. I still believe in Lemon, but he’s dealing with a lot of recurring injury stuff. Meanwhile, Markel Bell in the third round is looking like a golden pick. He’s looking like a diamond in the rough. And if Johnson can’t give it a go all season, well, he’s already said he has the utmost confidence in Bell.
Between Payton pushing for the QB2 job and Bell establishing himself as the future at right tackle, this preseason is already paying dividends for the Eagles. Roseman might not have made the flashy first-round move everybody wanted, but if these mid-round picks keep developing like this, nobody’s going to be complaining. Simple as that.
