The Detroit Lions were already in trouble at their backup quarterback spot before Teddy Bridgewater's sudden retirement. Now, the position has quickly become one of the most pressing concerns on the roster.
Recently-signed journeyman Joshua Dobbs is currently slated to take over in the backup role, with undrafted rookie Luke Altmyer rounding out the room. The Dobbs addition was akin to Phil Swift slapping Flex Tape on a leaking bucket. It's time to add a more capable backup.
The Philadelphia Eagles have the perfect answer sitting on their bench. Tanner McKee is dueling veteran Andy Dalton for the spot behind Jalen Hurts. It wouldn't take much for the Lions to solve one of their biggest needs while putting an end to an Eagles position battle.
Lions should trade a late-round draft pick to the Eagles for QB Tanner McKee
At the beginning of the offseason, the New York Jets surveyed the quarterback trade market. They checked in on McKee, but according to Rich Cimini (via the Saturday Huddle with Gary Myers), the Eagles were looking for a second-round pick in return. Put off by the outlandish asking price, the Jets targeted Geno Smith instead.
Moe Moton of Bleacher Report believes that McKee's trade value has since plummeted. He projected that the Philadelphia backup is worth no more than a 2027 sixth-round pick.
In a recent article, Moton said, "The Eagles have overpriced the demand for McKee, which may be why he's still on the roster after the club acquired 15th-year veteran Andy Dalton from the Carolina Panthers and drafted Cole Payton in the fifth round."
Philadelphia isn't going to keep four quarterbacks on its final roster. There is enough excitement surrounding rookie Cole Payton to give him a shot, and by all accounts, the battle between Dalton and McKee is neck-and-neck entering the preseason.
Somebody has to be the odd man out. For the cost of a late-round draft pick, the Lions could make the decision easy on the Eagles.
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In many ways, McKee resembles the quarterback archetype that Jared Goff has been so successful with. He's a big, strong-armed pocket passer with the tools to access all areas of the field. While he only has 88 career pass attempts to his name, his five touchdowns and one interception are encouraging signs of competence.
The sample size is small, but McKee looks like a capable NFL passer. There's a reason the Eagles were asking for such a high price at the beginning of the offseason, even if no teams were ever going to meet it. At 26 years old, McKee could provide Detroit with solid backup play for years to come.
The Lions have survived for too long without a premium backup quarterback, banking on injury luck to hide their deficit at the position. Goff protects himself well, but a team with Super Bowl aspirations can't afford to have this kind of dropoff at the most important position on the field.
It's time for Brad Holmes to make the call.
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