Trade reaction: How Sam Howell fits with the Eagles and what the trade means for Kyle McCord
McCord could be on his way to waivers after the Eagles upgraded at QB.
The Eagles traded for quarterback Sam Howell, sending draft picks to the Minnesota Vikings for the soon-to-be-25-year-old and a pick and shoring up the depth behind Jalen Hurts as backup Tanner McKee deals with a right finger injury.
Here’s a look at how Howell fits with the Eagles, and what his addition could mean as we get closer to the Tuesday 4 p.m. deadline of finalizing the initial 53-man roster.
What they gave up: The Eagles sent a 2026 fifth-round pick and a 2027 seventh-round selection to the Vikings. The Eagles are flush with picks in 2026 and still are since the pick the Vikings parted with is in the sixth round of next season’s draft. Minnesota was obviously looking to upgrade at QB, given they hosted and then signed Carson Wentz. If Howell was cut, the Eagles have the 32nd waiver pick, so they parted with some draft capital to avoid potentially missing out on a solid backup.
What he brings and how he fits: In the short-term, Howell brings insurance. McKee’s finger injury has essentially been hidden from public view and it’s unclear if he’ll be ready to back up Hurts when the season opens on Sept. 4. So Howell would be giving the Eagles a better and more NFL-ready quarterback to be the backup for Week 1 and until McKee’s injury, which did not require surgery, is healed enough for him to dress. It’s worth noting, of course, that McKee has not been ruled out for the opener.
Howell apparently had a rough camp, but he’s better suited to take snaps right now than Kyle McCord, who has not been impressive during his first NFL training camp with the Eagles.
Howell, a fifth-round pick by Washington in 2022, started all 17 games for the Commanders in 2023. He threw for 3,946 yards and completed 63.4% of his passes. But he led the NFL with 21 interceptions while throwing for the same amount of touchdowns. Two of his best performances that season came against the Eagles.
Howell has a big arm, but his lone season of real NFL playing time showed a player who struggled to keep the ball with his team’s offense.
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The Eagles will be his fourth NFL stop in four seasons. Washington traded him to Seattle in March of 2024. He was Seattle’s backup last season before being traded to Minnesota prior to April’s draft. The Vikings, obviously, saw enough that they weren’t confident in Howell’s ability to back up J.J. McCarthy. The Eagles see a No. 3 who could be an adequate No. 2 in the short-term.
What happens next?: McKee’s injury not requiring surgery means he’s unlikely to land on injured reserve, which means that the most likely scenario in the 53-man roster math has McCord and Dorian Thompson-Robinson not making the team. The Eagles, barring the unforeseen, will keep three quarterbacks on the 53 and subject McCord to waivers.
There are ways around doing that — going light at another position, for example — but the simplest solution is to waive McCord.
Some late-round picks are Clayton Thorson, who was drafted in the fifth round and waived after the 2019 training camp, and some are McKee, a sixth-round pick in 2023 who has developed into a legitimate backup.
McCord seems destined for the Eagles’ practice squad unless another team scoops him up.
As for the super long-term? The 2026 quarterback class is apparently deeper, and the Eagles should be right back in the market. McKee could become trade bait at some point rather than the Eagles letting him walk after 2026, and Howell is a free agent after this season.