After losing six consecutive games, the Philadelphia Eagles are making a change at starting quarterback with Joe Milton replacing Tanner McKee at QB1. Yet what is the reasoning behind Philadelphia’s decision and could it have more to do with the disappointing play of the team’s offensive line? I’ll answer that question and more in my latest Eagles mailbag.
There are likely a few layers to the Eagles deciding to start Milton in Week 9 (and likely beyond). The first is McKee’s underwhelming play across his three starts this season. While he’s obviously working with a less than stellar cast of weapons, it felt like McKee left far too much meat on the bone with missed throws and other mistakes. His lack of mobility also didn’t help behind an offensive line that has allowed a league-high 53 unblocked pressures in 2026, according to SumerSports.
If McKee was significantly raising the floor of the team’s offense, I could see the Eagles sticking with him at QB1. Yet that clearly wasn’t the case and now Philadelphia is turning to Milton. While the 26-year-old lacks experience, his physical tools are far more enticing and worth developing over McKee. The Eagles know what they have in McKee, but the same cannot be said for Milton. His combination of absurd arm strength with rushing ability is rare and the Eagles need to figure out if Milton could be an option at QB2 moving forward, given his status as a restricted free agent in the offseason.
If the Eagles fire Nick Sirianni, I would honestly be surprised if Jeff Stoutland wasn’t Philadelphia’s offensive line coach in 2027. Yet if the Eagles are forced to move in a different direction at that spot, it would likely depend on the head coach and/or new offensive scheme that they would be implementing. Here are three potential offensive line coach candidates that don’t currently hold the title that could be enticing:
Trevor Mendelson: The 34-year-old has only coached in the NFL for two seasons but he’s currently the assistant offensive line coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Mendelson has an intriguing background as he was the co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Western Michigan in 2024. Prior to that, Mendelson worked as a senior offensive analyst and assistant offensive line coach at Notre Dame.
Grant Newsome: The former Michigan offensive tackle currently serves as the assistant offensive line coach for the New York Giants. Prior to joining the Giants in 2026, Newsome worked at Michigan for eight seasons. Despite being just 29-years old, Newsome held two prominent position coach spots at Michigan, including being the team’s offensive line coach in 2024 and 2025.
Zak Kromer: The 32-year-old assistant offensive line coach for the Los Angeles Rams is the son of long-time offensive line coach Aaron Kromer. He has worked his way up the coaching ladder with the Rams since 2017 and could be due for the opportunity to lead his own offensive line room.
The Eagles are in a weird spot along the offensive line right now. Outside of starting left tackle Jordan Mailata, can we be 100% certain that every other current starter will be doing so in 2027? I don’t think so. There’s a realistic path that Landon Dickerson and Tyler Steen are elsewhere next season. It also feels like both Drew Kendall and Markel Bell could also be replaced too. In the meantime, Philadelphia must prioritize evaluating their young talent.
They’re already starting Kendall and Bell, which is the right choice, despite their struggles. But I’d also like to see the Eagles potentially shop Dickerson and Steen to open up more opportunities for players like Willie Lampkin and Micah Morris. Teams don’t usually have the (unfortunate?) luxury of being able to evaluate young players during a lost regular season. The Eagles must take advantage of being able to do so in the team’s final nine games.
With the NFL’s trade deadline approaching, it would also make sense to try and add another young player or two into the mix upfront. If I was Eagles general manager Howie Roseman, I’d call around the league and check-in on the availability of young offensive linemen, such as:
Jackson Powers-Johnson, Las Vegas Raiders
Josh Simmons, Kansas City Chiefs
Wyatt Milum, Jacksonville Jaguars
Charles Grant, Las Vegas Raiders
Marcus Mbow, New York Giants
While I don’t believe that the Eagles should be buyers at the NFL’s trade deadline, I’ve maintained my stance about who they should be targeting (if they do). If Roseman is going to make any additions, he should focus on young players with at least one year of team control beyond this season. Along with the five players that I’ve listed above, here are three other trade targets that make sense for the Eagles:
Kimani Vidal, RB, Los Angeles Chargers: The former sixth-round pick has been one of the lone bright spots for the struggling Chargers, yet he is still buried on the team’s confusing depth chart. Vidal will be a restricted free agent this offseason and would provide the Eagles with much-needed backfield depth both now and in 2027.
Ja’Tavion Sanders, TE, Carolina Panthers: The 23-year-old showed promise during his first two seasons in the NFL, yet he has fallen out of favor in Carolina. Outside of rookie tight end Eli Stowers, the Eagles don’t have much to develop at the position. Sanders would give Philadelphia another young, intriguing option at tight end.
Shemar Stewart, EDGE, Cincinnati Bengals: The Bengals spent a first-round pick on Stewart in the 2025 NFL Draft, yet he has barely played for the team this season. It feels like the classic case of a young player needing a change of scenery and the Eagles should be all over the opportunity to add a young edge rusher such as Stewart.
There are so many players on Philadelphia’s roster that I could see being moved by the NFL’s trade deadline, especially following the team’s change at quarterback. Yet if I had to put money on one player that will definitely be traded, it would likely be Eagles wide receiver Hollywood Brown. The 29-year-old has hauled in just four receptions in Philadelphia and it feels like there are several playoff contenders that would be willing to trade a late day three pick for him.
The Eagles need to prioritize developing the team’s young wide receivers like Makai Lemon and Darius Cooper. It seems silly to hold onto someone like Brown beyond the trade deadline, especially with his former team in need of help at wide receiver. If I were Roseman, I’d call the Kansas City Chiefs and asking if they would send a 2027 sixth-round pick or 2027 seventh-round pick in exchange for Brown.
I’d be surprised if Jalen Hurts wasn’t the starting quarterback of the Eagles in 2027. My guess is that Philadelphia’s top decision makers will want to give Hurts the opportunity to work with a likely revamped coaching staff and see what he can do in what would essentially be a “prove it” year next season. Yet beyond that remains uncertain, especially given his current contract situation and Philadelphia’s draft capital for the 2028 NFL Draft.
In regard to the team’s plans in the NFL Draft, I would expect them to still add a quarterback at some point in the 2027 NFL Draft. Unless Milton proves that he’s worth retaining as QB2 in 2027, Philadelphia should continue to add at the position. In fact, depending on what quarterbacks fall to the Eagles, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Philadelphia select one as early as day two, similar to when they selected Hurts in the 2020 NFL Draft.
As a husband and father of two young children, I’ve contemplated this question as well. It feels like the perfect time to capitalize on freeing up our normally occupied Sundays and winning some brownie points with the wife. While we would usually be annoyed by the proposal to go pumpkin picking or traveling to see someone on a Sunday, now we can pretend to be excited about that possibility. Although it might be worth waiting until the bye week and giving yourself one more week to watch the debut of Bazooka Joe.