Sports Illustrated gives brutally honest backup QB ranking of Tanner McKee

The luxury of having Jalen Hurts as the starting quarterback helps the Philadelphia Eagles, but his newly promoted backup, Tanner McKee, deserves just as much love.

McKee spent the last two years as the third-string quarterback for the Eagles before a Kenny Pickett injury against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 17 altered his perception. It forced the Eagles' hand in trading Pickett to the Cleveland Browns and moving McKee up on the depth chart.

He's been in the role for only two months, and it appears the NFL doesn't know how good he is going to be yet.

Sports Illustrated's ranking of McKee versus other backups misses the mark

Sports Illustrated writer Gilberto Manzano recently wrote an article ranking all 32 backup quarterbacks in the NFL. While McKee didn't reach the bottom, he didn't make the top half of the rankings, falling to 19 due to a lack of experience.

"McKee made the most of his Week 18 start against the New York Giants, who were more than ready for their offseason vacation. The 6' 6" McKee completed 27-of-41 passes for 269 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. The lone start was impressive enough for the team to trade Pickett to the Browns. McKee lacks experience but has the luxury of playing on a loaded team in case he needs to step in for Jalen Hurts."

All McKee did was throw touchdowns and protect the football, which is all a team can ask of their backup quarterback. He was impressive against the Cowboys in Week 17, coming in cold and throwing two touchdowns to A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.

McKee finished the season with a 66.7% completion percentage, completing 30 of 45 passes for 323 yards and four touchdowns, with zero interceptions. He won his only start against the Giants in the season finale.

The Eagles brought in Dorian Thompson-Robinson from the Pickett-Browns trade, and Philadelphia selected former Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord in the sixth round of the NFL Draft last month. Thompson-Robinson and McCord will battle for the third-string job and have no chance to challenge McKee for the number two job.

McKee has earned the respect of his coaches and teammates by proving that he can come off the bench to help the team. Hurts tends to miss maybe a game or two each season, so it's reassuring to know the Eagles have reliable insurance and are in good hands, like Allstate, with McKee. The rest of the NFL will soon learn.