The Philadelphia Eagles made an intriguing addition to their quarterback room on Sunday morning, making a move to trade for Sam Howell in a deal with the Minnesota Vikings. In return, the Eagles sent a fifth-round pick in 2026 and a seventh-round pick in 2027 back to Minnesota.
One thing that could have triggered this move was the preseason injury to Tanner McKee, who has been dealing with a finger problem that has kept him out for the last two games. Howell is more than capable of backing up Jalen Hurts if McKee is forced to miss any time, but it doesn't look like the Stanford product will be sidelined for too long.
McKee is dealing with a small fracture on his thumb, but he is not expected to go on injured reserve and could miss Week 1, but won't be out too long after that according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
“Eagles QB Tanner McKee suffered a fractured thumb, per The Insiders, that will bring his availability for Week 1 in question,” Rapoport reported on X, formerly Twitter. “Not a major injury for the clear-cut No. 2, as it’s just the top of the thumb. The Sam Howell trade likely would’ve happened anyway.”
The Eagles wouldn't have traded for Howell if they didn't have a role for him, but it's a bit of a head-scratcher why he was brought in given the severity of McKee's injury. While Howell may be the backup in Week 1 against the Dallas Cowboys on opening night, McKee should resume his role as the No. 2 when he comes back.
McKee has been a star of the preseason for multiple years now, and the big-armed quarterback looks ready to play in the regular season if he is called upon. In his only preseason action in 2025, he finished 20-of-25 with 252 yards and two touchdowns in a win over the Cincinnati Bengals to open the preseason.
Howell has experience as a starter after playing in all 17 games as the starter for the Washington Commanders back in 2023, but he did not play well last season in spot duty for the Seattle Seahawks. It will be interesting to see how the backup quarterback dynamics work out in Philadelphia this season with both McKee and Howell in the room.
