Eagles roster cuts: Initial 53-man roster includes four quarterbacks; Birds waive both 'foreign exchange students'

The Eagles, for now, have punted on their backup quarterback decision.

Howie Roseman didn't move either Andy Dalton or Tanner McKee before the 6 p.m. roster deadline Sunday night, and the Eagles went the unconventional route of keeping four quarterbacks on the initial 53-man roster.

They aren't the only team. The Pittsburgh Steelers, Minnesota Vikings, and Atlanta Falcons also kept four quarterbacks on their rosters.

Vic Fangio wasn't wrong when he warned time after time that Uar Bernard and Joshua Weru – the two first-time football players that joined the Eagles this offseason – have "a long way to go."

The Eagles used a seventh-round pick on Bernard, a defensive tackle from Nigeria with off-the-charts athleticism. They signed Weru, a Kenyan rugby convert, as an undrafted free agent. Neither had played a padded football game before the Eagles and Ravens met in the first preseason game earlier this month, and getting on the field in a real NFL game is a whole different beast.

But the Eagles' decision to waive both players ahead of the 6 p.m. roster deadline Sunday means they'll only be able to protect one of them, and they may not even get to develop either of them if another NFL team decides to claim them off waivers and put them on their 53-man roster.

The Miami Dolphins, according to ESPN, are acquiring Green Bay Packers quarterback Kyle McCord for a 2028 sixth-round pick.

That probably eliminates Miami from the list of teams the Eagles could get a draft asset for in exchange for Andy Dalton or Tanner McKee.

McCord, a Mount Laurel native, was a sixth-round pick by the Eagles last year but did not make the team out of camp. He spent the season on the practice squad before signing with the Packers.

No Eagles skill position player touched the ball more during the team’s three preseason games than Carson Steele. After getting only one carry in the first game, Steele had 18 touches in the second contest and 16 Friday night.

The 23-year-old running back, signed in free agency after spending some time with Kansas City over the last two seasons, Steele was the best offensive player on the Eagles in losses to New England and Cincinnati. He had just 33 yards on 12 carries vs. the Patriots, but he turned six catches into 84 yards and made two highlight-reel hurdles, including one that helped him reach the end zone.

Then he rushed eight times for 24 yards Friday and caught eight passes for 52 yards and another touchdown as Tanner McKee and Andy Dalton spent most of their shifts checking the ball down when they dropped back to pass.

The Miami Dolphins are in the market for a quarterback after they traded Quinn Ewers to Jacksonville on Saturday and waived Cam Miller Sunday morning.

Howie Roseman has probably scrolled his way to Jon-Eric Sullivan in his contacts list.

The Eagles likely are trying to trade either Andy Dalton or Tanner McKee, and the Dolphins are one of a few teams in need of some quarterback help.

The winner of the No. 2 job is still unclear. Can both lose?

Tanner McKee and Andy Dalton have been that uninspiring. The preseason finale offered more questionable quarterback play. There have been only glimmers.

McKee got his first start of this preseason after Dalton started the first two games. He played the entire first half. It was a brutal watch. McKee completed 12 of 22 passes, but for only 55 yards. He underthrew and overthrew receivers, looked timid in the pocket, and ultimately became a check-down artist.

The Eagles are in the process of reducing their roster down to 53 players by Sunday's 6 p.m. deadline.

Here are all the players the Eagles are expected to waive, according to sources and other reports:

Offense