Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni acknowledged that he intentionally delayed announcing the change at quarterback from Tanner McKee to Joe Milton as a strategic move to limit the opposing team's preparation time.
Sirianni stated his objective was to keep the opponent guessing for as long as possible, thereby gaining a tactical advantage. "I’m gonna tell you what I want to tell you guys," Sirianni explained. "I was gonna hold onto that as long as I possibly could. Every second that goes by in a situation like that…is a little less time for the opponent to get ready for the game. My job is to win football games and do everything we can do to help win football games and protect the guys here."
This strategy came to light after Sirianni initially called McKee "our guy" on Monday, only for reports to surface later that week about the team's intention to start Milton, whom the Eagles acquired from the Cowboys' practice squad in October.
Tanner McKee learned of his benching directly from Sirianni on Tuesday. "That’s one thing I appreciate about [the team]," McKee said Thursday. "They’ve been very upfront about things. I know what he said in the media on Monday, the day before. But he said he wanted to communicate to the guys before he says anything to the media. He doesn’t want us finding out in the media, which I appreciate."
Mckee had started the Eagles' previous three games following Jalen Hurts' season-ending injury due to blood clots. During these starts, the Eagles recorded an 0-3 record, including losses to divisional opponents Dallas and Washington. McKee completed 63.2 percent of his passes for 638 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions, achieving a passer rating of 76.6 over that span. The Eagles drafted McKee out of Stanford in 2023, intending for him to serve as Hurts' backup.