Well, the QB factory did not quite work out the way the Philadelphia Eagles were hoping that it would.
News came in that the Green Bay Packers have signed quarterback Kyle McCord to a reserve/future contract for the 2026 season. McCord was a sixth-round pick of the Eagles in the 2025 NFL Draft and was seen as the next Tanner McKee for Philly.
The preseason with the Eagles did not go well for McCord, as he completed just 42.9% of his passes for 191 yards and one touchdown, with two interceptions, across three games. While he did technically beat out Dorian Thompson-Robinson in training camp, the Eagles decided to trade for Sam Howell to be the third-string quarterback, and McCord was moved to the practice squad.
Eagles' experiment with McCord failed at quarterback
Philly hoped that, since they selected McKee on Day 3 of the NFL Draft and he developed into a good quarterback, the same could happen with McCord. The Eagles wanted McCord to emerge quickly as at least a third string for 2025 so that the option to trade McKee in the offseason was a possibility.
It became apparent from his first preseason game that McCord just wasn't ready and needed a lot of time to develop. He never looked comfortable with his passes all over the place, and his decision-making was not where it needed to be for an NFL quarterback.
This leaves the Eagles in an interesting situation at quarterback: Jalen Hurts is obviously the guy, but will the team be comfortable enough to trade away McKee and find another backup for Hurts? McKee seems to be a hot name again this offseason to be traded, and the Eagles could get a mid-round pick for him.
There's always the option of Howell and whether the Eagles would bring him back. Should a McKee trade happen and Howell comes back, it's almost a guarantee that general manager Howie Roseman selects a quarterback in the NFL Draft, which would be the right move. Where that quarterback gets selected could really tell the story on how the Eagles feel about not only Howell, but Hurts, too.
Read more: Eagles reporter's update on top OC candidate will have fans sweating bullets
It's unfortunate that it didn't work out with McCord, as he played well in Syracuse and seemed to be a good fit for the Eagles, but he wasn't ready to go. The Eagles are back to the drawing board with the backup quarterback situation.