January 02, 2025
Locked into the 2 seed, the Philadelphia Eagles are resting starters against the New York Giants in their final 2024 regular season game on Sunday. Because the outcome of the game doesn't matter to the Eagles, it's kinda pointless to analyze the matchups. Instead we'll note some young players and a side thing to watch.
Jalen Hurts sure as hell isn't playing in this game, and Kenny Pickett didn't practice on Wednesday with a ribs injury. It is likely that Tanner McKee will start. My guess would also be that Ian Book will be the No. 2 and Pickett could perhaps be the "emergency quarterback."
McKee has looked really good in preseason games, notably last year against the Ravens and this year against the Patriots. In his only ever regular season action Week 17 against the Cowboys, he was prepared, poised, and accurate, completing 3 of 4 passes for 54 yards and 2 TDs.
In my opinion, McKee outplayed Pickett throughout training camp and in the preseason games this past summer, but Pickett "won" the No. 2 quarterback job, perhaps because he had 24 games of starting experience under his belt. If McKee can perform at a high level, perhaps he can showcase that he deserves to be the No. 2 in 2025 and beyond. The Eagles would have the luxury of having a pair of cost-controlled backup quarterbacks on their roster next season, or trade one of them if some team out there made an attractive offer.
Shipley was concussed against the Commanders and he did not play against the Cowboys, so it's not a certainty that he will play against the Giants, but his participation in practice on Wednesday indicated that he is trending in the right direction.
Shipley's action this season has mostly been on special teams and in mop-up duty at running back in blowouts. He has 20 carries for 50 yards (2.5 YPC), but he also had a long TD run against the Bengals called back:
Will Shipley's TD run that didn't count... pic.twitter.com/lixJoLowbf
— Jimmy Kempski (@JimmyKempski) October 28, 2024
Saquon Barkley carried 345 times this season, 50 more than his previous career high. He had 378 total touches. Add in that Kenny Gainwell is scheduled to become a free agent this season, and Shipley could be in line for a bigger role in 2025. This could be a good opportunity to get an extended look at him.
If the Eagles lose Mekhi Becton this offseason in free agency, they will have a hole at RG. The most obvious candidate on the roster to fill that spot is Tyler Steen, but perhaps Keegan could be in the mix as well.
Keegan has not yet appeared in a game for the Eagles, but he has stuck on the 53-man roster all season. This will be his first chance to show what he can do since the preseason.
Trotter showed promise during the summer, but he is the fourth linebacker in the pecking order behind Zack Baun, Nakobe Dean, and Oren Burks. He has only played 51 defensive snaps on the season, 23 of which came last Sunday against the Cowboys. He had 3 tackles and a half sack in that game.
The Eagles are going to try to retain Baun, but there's always the possibility that some other team out there will make him an outlandish offer the Eagles cannot match. If so, Trotter will have an opportunity to crack the starting lineup in 2025.
In Week 17, the Giants beat the Colts, and as a result their draft positioning dropped from the No. 1 overall pick to the No. 4 overall pick. Their season has gone so badly that they can't even lose right. If they beat the Eagles' backups and the maximum possible number of 4-12 teams lose, they could end up falling as far as ninth in the draft order.
If you have a Giants fan friend in your life, you can laugh at them if they win.
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