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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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The Philadelphia Eagles are making another change at quarterback, benching Tanner McKee and starting Joe Milton in Week 9 against the New York Giants. The Eagles are 2-6 and have lost six straight, including all three of McKee's starts after Jalen Hurts went on season-ending injured reserve with blood clots in his lungs.
Milton will make his first NFL start for a team he joined less than a month ago, after Philadelphia signed him off the Dallas Cowboys practice squad on Oct. 16. The change is somewhat surprising given that head coach Nick Sirianni just said on Monday that "Tanner's our guy." But the Eagles offense has also struggled with him under center, and was just shut out over the final three quarters in Sunday's 27-10 loss against Washington.
Star tight end Dallas Goedert said the decision was "beyond" him and that he feels for McKee, but understood the logic behind it.
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"That's beyond me, you know. Obviously, I feel for Tanner [McKee] in this situation. I don't think he played terribly, but I think they're trying to do anything to find a spark," Goedert said.
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Milton is a 26-year-old former Michigan and Tennessee quarterback who the New England Patriots took in the sixth round of the 2024 draft. He's appeared in five NFL games without a start, completing 37 of 53 passes (69.8%) for 424 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions. His best moment came in Week 18 of his rookie year, when he led New England to a dramatic win over their division rival Bills, completing 22 of 29 passes for 241 yards and one touchdown with zero picks.
He brings a strong arm and the ability to extend plays, which is very different from McKee, who completed 23 of 34 passes for 212 against the Commanders in Week 8, but also failed to score a touchdown, threw one interception, and lost a fumble.
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With the season sliding, the move makes sense. The Eagles can evaluate Milton and try to jump-start an offense that hasn't gotten going this year. After the Giants on Sunday, Philadelphia will have a bye before facing Pittsburgh in Week 11.
At 2-6 and in last place in the NFC East, their playoff hopes are slim, and the season is realistically close to over unless Milton can spark a big turnaround.
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