Former UCLA star is quietly on the Eagles’ chopping block

One of the most important positions on the Philadelphia Eagles besides the starting quarterback is Jalen Hurt's backup.

While characterizing Hurts as "injury-prone" is widely inaccurate, he got hurt late in the 2024 season, making the backup job much more important. Kenny Pickett held that position, but even he had been injured late in the season against the Dallas Cowboys, which opened the door to Tanner McKee.

McKee's impressive performances against the Cowboys and New York Giants set the stage for the Eagles to trade Pickett to the Cleveland Browns, with picks involved from each side. Philadelphia acquired quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson as part of the deal. That didn't stop the Eagles' movement at quarterback, as they drafted Syracuse signal caller Kyle McCord in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft.

With so much to prove and only having one shot at making a perfect first impression, Thompson-Robinson appears to be the odd man out in the Eagles' quarterback room.

McCord's draft selection makes life challenging on Thompson-Robinson

Cleveland selected Thompson-Robinson in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft after a successful run as the starting quarterback for UCLA. It's been far from a fairy tale journey in the league for the 25-year-old as he has appeared in 15 games with five starts for the Browns.

Thompson-Robinson threw for 880 yards and one touchdown to a worrisome 10 interceptions and a 52.6% completion percentage. The one saving grace for him is his running abilities after averaging 5.3 yards per carry and 187 rushing yards in his Cleveland career.

It's safe to assume that McKee has the backup job in hand after his impressive 66.7% completion percentage, 323 yards, and four touchdowns performance last year. Thompson-Robinson's biggest competition is McCord.

McCord already has a massive advantage over Thompson-Robinson due to the relationship between McCord and Eagles quarterback coach Scot Loeffler. It started with Loeffler recruiting McCord back in eighth grade, and they have kept in touch ever since.

The other advantage for McCord is that the Eagles drafted him. Selecting a player in the draft doesn't automatically mean they'll make the team, but it's usually an indicator they have the edge.

Thompson-Robinson has to make the roster by taking advantage of his skill set that matches Hurts: their mobility. His passing abilities need to improve, especially regarding his accuracy and decision-making.

It seems like a long shot for Thompson-Robinson to make the final roster, but how he does in OTAs and training camp will go a long ways in determining what is a defying moment in his young NFL career.