The Philadelphia Eagles kicked off preseason play on Thursday against the Cincinnati Bengals. Many expected the story of the game to be Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase and the Bengals' starters actually getting playing time, which it was for roughly the first quarter of the game.
Burrow and Chase connected for a touchdown, Burrow went 9-of-10 for two scores, and the Bengals' offense looked in midseason form. Unfortunately for them, so too did their defense, as Eagles quarterback Tanner McKee put together an all-time preseason performance.
And yes, "all-time preseason performance" is as meaningful as having the most Monopoly money, but for someone like Tanner McKee who can use these three games to raise his stock, it could lead to a better opportunity.
McKee went 20-of-25 for 252 yards and two touchdown passes, and he added a rushing score for good measures. The former sixth-round pick out of Stanford became the talk of the NFL over the course of the exhibition contest, and many people are now calling him a starting-caliber quarterback.
We've seen performances like this lead to players getting traded. Teddy Bridgewater in 2018 is the best example of a player showing out in the preseason, and then getting shipped to another team that liked what they saw. Bridgewater played great for the New York Jets, which led to the New Orleans Saints trading for him. It ended up paying off for the Saints, as Drew Brees suffered an injury in 2019 and they were able to go 5-0 with Bridgewater under center.
Should McKee put together another nice performance, the Eagles will get calls. Don't be shocked if he is sent to a team with a bit of an up-in-the-air quarterback situation.
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