Roob’s Eagles Observations: What makes Tanner McKee unique – NBC Sports Philadelphia

Roob’s 10 Random Eagles Observations picks up the pieces after a challenging few weeks in Eagles World. Just think, in the span of 18 days, the Eagles got blown out by the Bears, blew a 10-point 4^th-quarter lead against the Rams, flew back and forth to London, lost a game to the Jaguars after taking the lead with eight seconds left, dealt with Lane Johnson retiring, Cam Jurgens getting traded, Saquon Barkley getting hurt (among others) and finally learned of Jalen Hurts’ blood clots. 

“And it’s only Week 6,” Jordan Mailata bellowed at his locker on Thursday.

Who knows what the rest of the season will bring, but all I know is we’ll have 10 Obs every week.

WHAT ABOUT TANNER? While we all hope for a speedy recovery for Jalen Hurts and hope to see him back on the field as soon as possible, for now Tanner McKee is the Eagles’ quarterback, and it’s rare for a quarterback drafted as late as McKee to start regular-season NFL games. In their long 94-year history, the Eagles have had only one other quarterback drafted in the sixth or seventh round start a game. Koy Detmer, a 7^th-round pick in 1997, went 3-5 in eight starts from 1998 through 2004. McKee, a 6^th-round pick in 2023, is 1-1 in two starts going into the Panthers game Sunday at the Linc. The only other NFL quarterback drafted in the sixth or seventh round who’s started a game this year is Brock Purdy, the 49ers’ 7^th-round pick in 2022. Purdy, Tom Brady and Matt Hasselbeck are the only quarterbacks drafted in the sixth round or later to win a playoff game in the last 20 years. Guys like Tyrod Taylor and Gardner Minshew have had sporadic success, but the last 6^th– or 7^th-round QB other than Brady and Purdy to win 10 games in a season was Ryan Fitzpatrick with the Jets in 2015 and before that Matt Cassel with the Patriots in 2010. Of 165 quarterbacks in NFL history drafted in the sixth or seventh round to throw at least 50 passes, McKee’s 95.7 passer rating is 3^rd-highest, not surprisingly behind Purdy (105.4) and Brady (97.2). He’s thrown five TDs in his brief career and just one interception. McKee is smart, accurate and confident, gets rid of the ball quickly, knows the offense and is respected by his teammates. He’s not Jalen, but I expect him to be fine as long as he’s in there. Which hopefully isn’t too long. 

LANDON’S FUTURE: I keep going back to this: If the Eagles were totally willing to trade Cam Jurgens, why wouldn’t they be totally willing to trade Landon Dickerson as well? If the offer is right? I think Howie would do it, for all the same reasons – freeing up a huge amount of future cash, moving on from a late-20s interior lineman who’s best days are likely behind him and adding to the growing draft pick stockpile. One difference is that the Eagles believed they already had an heir apparent to Jurgens in Drew Kendall, and I’m not sure they feel the same way about any of their other young interior linemen – Jake Majors, Willie Lampkin or Micah Morris. But they can figure out left guard. I think we’re seeing the first couple steps on what’s going to be an almost total o-line overhaul. Lane Johnson, Cam Jurgens and Dickerson made a combined 11 Pro Bowls and they could all be gone fairly soon. And don’t forget, Tyler Steen is unsigned beyond this year and with his level of play dropping off from last year they could be replacing everybody on the o-line other than Jordan Mailata. Which is crazy. Howie has drafted well on the o-line over the years with a couple notable exceptions that you know all too well, and he may need to repeat that success over the next year or two.

ON RHETT HALL AND BLOOD CLOTS: Do you guys remember Rhett Hall? He was a defensive tackle that Ray Rhodes brought over to Philly with him in 1995 after Hall played for Rhodes on the 1994 Super Bowl-champion 49ers. It was just after training camp in August of 1995 that Eagles defensive line coach Mike Trgovac noticed that Hall didn’t look well. Hall complained that his resting pulse was racing at twice its normal rate, and trainer Otho Davis came over and checked him out and immediately knew something serious was happening. Hall was rushed to Thomas Jefferson Hospital, where he was diagnosed with multiple blood clots that had reached his lungs. Quick action by Trgo and Otho probably saved Hall’s life. He was treated with blood thinners and missed three months of the season before finally getting cleared in late November and returning for two games before suffering a season-ending knee injury that knocked him out of the playoffs. Hall played three more seasons with the Eagles without any complications from the clots. “When you’re diagnosed with something like that, it helps you put football in perspective,” Hall said in an interview on the Eagles’ web site in 2010. “My first and foremost thought was getting healthy. It was just within a matter of weeks I felt like I’m going to be fine and I’m going to play again. It’s just a matter of how long it’s going to take to get back out there.” Was a scary time and quite a scare for Hall, and who knows how comparable his situation was with Hurts currently but certainly encouraging that as grave as Hall’s condition was he was able to return later that year and play three more seasons with no issues. It was lingering knee issues that ultimately ended Hall’s career after the 1998 season.

HE DID WHAT AT 35 YEARS OLD???: Did you ever stop and consider how remarkable Irving Fryar’s 1997 season was?  Fryar was 35 when he caught 86 passes for 1,316 yards, with was 300 more yards than anybody had ever had at that age and remains the most ever by a player 35 or older. Fryar also had 1,195 yards in 1996 at 34 years old and is one of only three players with multiple seasons of 1,150 yards after his 34^th birthday. The others are Hall of Famers Cris Carter and Jerry Rice. Fryar’s 3,869 yards after his 34^th birthday are 5^th-most in NFL history. And one more amazing Irving Fryar stat: Only two other Eagles have had 85 catches and 1,300 yards in their 20s – A.J. Brown and Jeremy Maclin. Fryar did it when he was 35. And the most receiving yards in a season by an Eagles WR 35 and over other than Fryar? Hall of Famer James Lofton with 167 in 1993 at 37 years old. 

WHAT’S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE? The Eagles have started 24 drives on their own 30-yard-line and in and scored three touchdowns on those 24 drives. The other 21 drives have ended like this: 13 punts, four interceptions, one fumble and three downs. The only team to score fewer touchdowns when starting drives at their own 30 and in is the Broncos, who have just one. For the sake of comparison, the Rams, Panthers, Bills and Cowboys have all scored nine times on drives of 70 yards or more. The league average is 20.1 percent. The Eagles are at 12.5 percent.

JALEN HURTS STAT OF THE DAY: The Jaguars game was Jalen Hurts’ 42^ndin 87 career starts with at least one touchdown and no interceptions. The only quarterbacks with more games with a TD pass and no INTs through 87 career starts are Russell Wilson and Patrick Mahomes with 44 each. Of 22 Hall of Fame quarterbacks, Steve Young had the most such games with 34.

DARIUS COOPER’S RARE PRODUCTION: Darius Cooper is the first undrafted NFL wide receiver 24 or younger with four touchdowns through five games in 41 years. In 1985, Dennis McKinnon of the Bears, who was also 24, had six touchdowns through Week 5 as the Bears made their way to a Super Bowl championship. Only five other undrafted WRs since 1970 have had four TDs the first five of a season before their 25^th birthday: Willie Frazier of the Oilers in 1965, Dan Reeves of the Cowboys in 1968, Steve Watson of the Broncos in 1981 and Bobby Johnson of the Giants in 1984.

HOW BAD HAVE THEY BEEN AFTER HALFTIME? Here are five mind-blowing stats illustrating how bad the Eagles have been in the second half this year:

• The Eagles have an NFL-low 21 offensive plays of 10 yards or more after halftime.
• The Eagles have recorded just 24 first downs after halftime, 11 fewer than next-worst, the Dolphins with 35. They’re last in passing first downs in the second half with 16 – four fewer than the Chiefs and Dolphins – and 31^st in rushing first downs with eight, somehow two more than the Packers.
• The Eagles are converting just 29.7 percent on third down in the second half, which is 30^th in the league, ahead of the Steelers (26.7 percent) and Ravens (25.9 percent). 
• The Eagles are gaining an average of 3.5 yards per play in the second half, nearly a yard worse than any other team. The Vikings are 31^st at 4.3 yards per play in the second half. 
• The Eagles have scored on just five of 29 2^nd-half drives, worst in the league. The Titans are next-worst with six scores after halftime. They have two touchdowns in the second half, half as many as the Colts and Titans. The league average is teams scoring on 40 percent of 2^nd-half drives. The Eagles are scoring on a league-worst 17 percent with nobody else under 27 percent. The league average is scoring touchdowns on 25 percent of drives. The Eagles are at an NFL-worst 7 percent, with nobody else under 17 percent.  

THE MISERABLE SACK STATS: The Eagles’ six sacks match their fewest through five games since 1993, when they had five. They also had six after five weeks in 1997. Their edge rushers have combined for just two sacks, both by Nolan Smith. Eagles starting edge rushers with no sacks through five games since sacks became an official stat in 1982: Clyde Simmons (1990), Mike Mamula (1997), Greg Jefferson (1999), Ndukwe Kalu (2003), Trent Cole (2013), Derek Barnett (2021), Jalyx Hunt (2025), Jalyx Hunt (2026). 

ALAS POOR JORRICK: Britain Covey had a 41-yard punt return vs. the Rams and a 42-yard kick return vs. the Jaguars. The last Eagle with punt and kick returns of at least 40 yards in the same season was Jorrick Calvin, who had a 44-yard punt return against the Falcons in Week 6 and a 41-yard kick return against the Titans a week later. The 44-yarder was the sixth punt return of Calvin’s career and the 41-yarder was the seventh kick return of his career. Calvin played 12 games with the Eagles in 2010, the only NFL games he ever played. Others who have pulled off the 40-yard return double since 1941, as far back as return stats go: Steve Van Buren in 1944, Bosh Pritchard and Buren in 1946, Pritchard in 1948, Clyde Scott in 1949, Don Stevens in 1952, Al Pollard in 1953, Billy Wells in 1958, Art Powell in 1959, Timmy Brown in 1961 and 1964, Irv Cross in 1965, Aaron Martin in 1966, Alvin Haymond in 1968, Billy Walik in 1971, Larry Marshall in 1977, Wally Henry in 1981, Vai Sikahema in 1992, Mark Seay in 1996, Brian Mitchell in 2000, 2001 and 2002 and Brian Westbrook in 2003.