Backup QB battle still unresolved as roster cuts begin
Andy Dalton and Tanner McKee finished the preseason with the QB2 job still open, Jonathan Greenard's pectoral now threatens the opener, and Philadelphia closed exhibition play 0-3 in an uneven loss to Cincinnati.
The backup job still doesn't have a name on it
Three preseason games did not settle anything. McKee started Friday's finale and threw a first-half interception on an underthrow before Dalton, in his 16th season, came in and drove the offense on eight straight completions and a touchdown, per PhillyVoice. Sirianni called it "still a competition" after the Patriots loss the week before, and nothing in Cincinnati closed the book, per NBC Sports Philadelphia — even with The Inquirer noting McKee has actually outplayed Dalton across the three games, often working behind Philadelphia's third-string line. Offensive coordinator Sean Mannion pointed to what Dalton offers that a stat line can't measure: "He's got well over 100 starts. That's unique," Mannion said, via PhillyVoice.
The numbers still split the difference — McKee finished 12 of 22 for 55 yards with the pick, Dalton went 12 of 19 for 104 yards and a touchdown. That gap collides with a separate question PhillyVoice has been raising: whether Philadelphia even keeps two veteran arms plus rookie Cole Payton on the 53. The trimming already started, with the Eagles waiving receiver Samori Toure as cuts began, Ian Rapoport reported — not a quarterback move, but the first hard evidence that real answers, at every spot on the roster, are close. The club also added a body to that same receiver room this week, signing Tahj Washington on Thursday, per ESPN's Tim McManus.
Preseason ends 0-3, and Friday was the least clean of the three
Friday's 30-13 loss to Cincinnati closed out an 0-3 preseason — the record actually worth citing this time of year, since none of it counts against the 0-0 that opens next month. It was uneven throughout: Philadelphia forced and recovered a fumble, Jake Elliott made a 56-yard field goal, and the Eagles still trailed by 17 at the final whistle. Dalton went 12 of 19 for 104 yards with a touchdown and no picks in relief; McKee went 12 of 22 for 55 yards with the interception. Rookie receiver Makai Lemon played through a rocky debut — three catches on five targets for five yards, a punt return for no gain, and a fumble he recovered himself.
Bengals13-30
Patriots21-24
Ravens7-24#Eagles close out winless preseason with uneven 30-13 loss to Bengals; status of QB2 competition unclear. @ReinerOlivia: t.co/04PfKdUpAz
Beat writer Jeff McLane summed it up plainly: "Eagles close out winless preseason with uneven 30-13 loss to Bengals; status of QB2 competition unclear," he wrote with Olivia Reiner. Lemon, for his part, said afterward he was glad the rough outing happened now instead of September, McLane and Reiner also reported — a fair way to file three preseason losses, to Baltimore, New England and now Cincinnati, that were never going to be remembered once the games start counting. Every one of them was about who's making the roster, not who's making the playoffs, and that's the right way to read a preseason record.
Greenard's pec injury is now a Week 1 question
Jonathan Greenard hasn't practiced with the Eagles all camp, and he's still questionable with the pectoral strain he suffered lifting in the team's own weight room back in July. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio hasn't offered much comfort: "I don't know when Greenard will be back," he said, adding "that injury he got in our weight room is going to take some time to heal," and telling reporters "we ain't going to see him for another couple weeks, at least." NFL Network's Mike Garafolo has reported the Eagles are worried the $98 million pass rusher could miss the September 13 opener against Washington entirely, and ESPN's Eagles beat has since described him as out another couple weeks with the injury.
He's not the only name on a lengthening list. Safety Andre' Sam left Friday's game with a left foot injury, per The Athletic's Brooks Kubena, and tight end Eli Stowers may not be at full strength even once his hamstring clears, according to PhillyVoice's Jimmy Kempski. None of it is disqualifying on its own, but it means Fangio's defense could be breaking in new faces at multiple spots in the opener rather than the group it built all spring.
The opener is a division rival that just spent big on its own defense
Sunday afternoon vs. the Commanders opens the regular season at the Linc, and Washington arrives having gone 1-2 in its own preseason, including a 41-3 loss at Baltimore in its last exhibition. Jayden Daniels is back healthy after an elbow injury cut short his 2025 season, but he's still finding rhythm in a new scheme installed by offensive coordinator David Blough — he took just three snaps and completed no passes in Washington's most recent preseason outing, per Hogs Haven. The Commanders spent the offseason rebuilding their front seven, signing edge rushers Odafe Oweh and K'Lavon Chaisson and using the seventh overall pick on Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles, according to PFF — a group that will get its first real look at Philadelphia's line in Week 1.
Philadelphia opened as 4.5-point favorites at home, with the total set at 47.5 — a middling number for a game between two teams still sorting out who they are. It's the kind of division opener that outweighs anything that happened in August, and after three preseason losses, it's the first one that will actually count.