Quarterbacks Andy Dalton and Tanner McKee had an opportunity to showcase their talents to the Philadelphia Eagles coaching staff in their first preseason contest on Saturday night. Instead, the veteran NFL QBs both turned in unmemorable performances in the 24-7 loss to the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium.

The outing didn’t provide much surface information on establishing a leader in the race for the backup quarterback behind Jalen Hurts this season. Here is what we know about the battle for the backup QB spot after the initial exhibition clash in Baltimore.

Sean Mannion discusses QB play at Baltimore

Neither veteran signal-caller led a first-down drive over three lifeless quarters; however, they weren’t exactly put in the best situations due to penalties or missed opportunities, according to their new offensive coordinator, Sean Mannion. 

“There were some good and some that could obviously improve,”  the first-year OC said on Aug. 17. “The third downs have got to be better there. Some of them were tough spots, to be fair. You know, you’re in third-and-extra-long situations, it’s going to be an uphill battle.” 

Dalton faced two of those extra yardage situations against the Ravens, a 3rd-and-15 and a 3rd-and-17, that both resulted in Brandon Mann punts. McKee battled a 3rd-and-12 as he guided the squad to an onslaught of punts during his time on Saturday. 

Bear in mind, the Ravens and the rest of the NFL were never going to see Mannion’s true game plan this season. Those installments will remain under wraps until the Eagles’ regular-season opener against the Washington Commanders at Lincoln Financial Field on Sept. 13. 

Dalton receives starting reps 

Dalton finished with three completions on six tosses for 20 yards and was sacked one time for a nine-yard loss. He faced four 3rd-down situations, including a 3rd-and-15 and a 3rd-and-17, to navigate during the first 15 minutes of the game. 

The 38-year-old realistically had no business being in the opening preseason clash with 189 career NFL games under his belt. However, a spot on a title-contender is a highly desirable situation for the 15-year veteran who hasn’t seen postseason action since the 2014 campaign. 

Dalton has spent the last three seasons playing sporadically for the Carolina Panthers. He closed out his time in North Carolina with a 1-6 record, but a 64% completion percentage and 10 touchdowns to seven interceptions fall in line with his career numbers. He is three seasons removed from 14 starts and a 6-8-0 record as a starting QB for the New Orleans Saints during the 2022 season.

If Mannion wants a reliable fallback option in the QB2 spot, Dalton likely holds the inside track due to his 169 starts in the league (compared to six for McKee). A solid performance this week during the joint practice sessions against the New England Patriots could go a long way to convincing the staff to give him the secondary quarterback snaps this fall. 

Tanner McKee fails to move offense, too

McKee entered for the second quarter and played slightly better against Baltimore. Despite failing to move the chains. The 26-year-old completed six of his 10 passes for 35 yards, but he was also burdened with tough yardage situations. As with Dalton, Mannion was going to learn much from McKee’s performance without a few first downs to push the offense down the field (which didn’t happen until Cole Payton entered later in the game).

McKee locked down the backup spot position as part of the Eagles’ NFC East Division-winning squad in 2025. He suffered the first loss of his young NFL career in an inconsequential start against the Washington Commanders in Week 18 last winter. He won his only other start, a 20-14 win against the New York Giants to close out the 2024 regular season slate. 

If all goes well again in 2026, the Eagles won’t need much from the 2023 sixth-round pick from Stanford over the next five months. For now, he needs to protect his job from the threat of an invading veteran signal-caller. 

Cole Payton brings Eagles offense to life with late touchdown

Payton follows the same late-round draft scheme by Howie Roseman with a fifth-round swing during the 2026 NFL Draft. The 6-foot-3 from North Dakota State was most impressive for getting the Eagles’ offense to show a heartbeat before a late touchdown nixed the Ravens’ shutout bid, as well. 

The 23-year-old completed four of nine passes for 37 yards, while collecting 45 yards on three dashes down the field. Payton’s four 1st-down conversions doubled up his veteran counterparts (two from McKee), even if he was playing against the back end of the Ravens’ roster at the end of the preseason showcase. 

While Payton’s late fourth-quarter touchdown pass to Erik Ezukanma gave the Birds fans something to cheer about on Saturday night, it doesn’t do a whole lot for his NFL roster projections. As a late-round draft pick, he will likely be bound for a practice squad situation, either at NovaCare Complex or elsewhere. 

Where Does QB Battle Stand? 

There likely hasn’t been shuffling of the deck in the quarterback room for the Eagles just yet. Obviously, Jalen Hurts sits as the incumbent starter, and that isn’t expected to change any time soon despite the disrespect and criticism he receives from those outside (and some from inside) the City of Brotherly Love. 

Dalton ($1.5 million contract), McKee ($1.1M), and Payton ($885K) have similar cap charges for the upcoming season, according to Over The Cap. It is hard to see Philadelphia rostering more than two signal callers (and one practice quarterback). 

Payton is practice squad-bound unless he gets selected from the waiver pool before Roseman has a chance to add him to the practice group. Nearly every NFL team has its own project quarterbacks who they usually feel are perfect for their system (or for their practice squad’s needs). So, more often than not, you’ll see these types of players clear waivers later during the training camp process. This is likely what the Eagles will try to do with their recent fifth-round selection.

Therefore, that leaves Dalton versus McKee to battle it out to support as the “next man up” when Philadelphia’s front office decides on the best 53 men to take into battle in less than a month. This week’s practice against New England could have seismic consequences for one of (or both) of these NFL veterans.