ClutchPoints
After months and months of anticipation, the Philadelphia Eagles took the field against the Cincinnati Bengals for their first of three preseason games, and the results were pretty good.
Sure, the Eagles had some issues that were hard to ignore, like both Adoree’ Jackson and Kelee Ringo struggling against the Bengals’ first team offense, and Vic Fangio’s pass rush struggling to get much going off the edge. But in the end, Philly went up against Cincinnati’s first team with mostly reserves and pulled out the win, showcasing the depth of the team Howie Roseman has assembled for Nick Sirianni.
With two more games to go, the Eagles still have ample opportunities to scout the bottom of their depth and decide which players deserve a spot on the 53-man roster, but with one contest already in the books, these three players ultimately strengthened their standing in South Philadelphia to a major degree.
When the story of the Eagles’ Super Bowl debut is written, the name featured first has to be Tanner McKee, the former sixth-round pick out of BYU who famously told fans to “tune in on Thursday” after being given a disrespectful initial rating in Madden 26.
One of the most underrated arms in the NFC East, even if that distinction erodes by the day, McKee went up against the Bengals’ first-string offense and made them look like scrubs, completing 20 of his 25 passes for 252 yards and two touchdowns. While McKee technically didn’t have the highest passer rating in the game, as Burrow was near perfect against the Eagles’ second-string defense, McKee looked every bit like a starting-caliber NFL quarterback, with fans around the league hypothesizing about which teams he could start for.
For now, McKee remains the Eagles’ QB2, and after earning better reviews than Kenny Pickett last season when the duo both earned opportunities to lead Kellen Moore’s offense, it would appear the BYU product will be perfectly positioned to fill a reserve role this fall.
Will conversations open up about McKee’s long-term home once more in the spring, when he will be in the final year of his rookie contract? Oh yeah, it’s safe to assume McKee will be a very in-demand option for quarterback-needy teams looking for a potential long-term answer under center. But for now, he’s a member of the Eagles, and the team is certainly very happy to have him, no matter what percentage of the snaps Hurts plays this fall.
Tanner McKee precision TD dime
14/17
193 Yards
2 TD
153.2 RatingEagles 24-14 halftime lead pic.twitter.com/ynMzYAilUP
— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) August 8, 2025
With McKee turning in an absolute gem of a game against the Bengals’ first-team defense, the biggest beneficiary of his exceptional play had to be Darius Cooper, the 5-foot-11, 210-pound wide receiver out of Tarleton State.
Joining the Eagles as an undrafted free agent after recording two 1,000-plus yard...
