Eagles trade for Sam Howell, shore up QB depth as Tanner McKee battles injury

With Tanner McKee dealing with a finger injury, the Eagles are shoring up to their quarterback depth, acquiring Sam Howell from the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday morning, a league source confirmed to the Inquirer.

The Eagles sent a 2026 fifth-round pick and a 2027 seventh-rounder to the Vikings in exchange for the 24-year-old quarterback and a 2026 sixth-round pick. In a corresponding move, the Eagles waived safety Lewis Cine with an injury designation.

The move comes as McKee’s status for Week 1 is in question. McKee, the Eagles’ backup behind Jalen Hurts, sustained a finger injury on his right throwing hand in practice on Monday. According to the NFL Network, McKee fractured the top of his thumb. He did not practice the next two days.

While McKee watched the Eagles’ preseason finale against the New York Jets from the sideline, he did not remove his right hand from his sweatshirt pocket, both during the game and afterwards when he was spotted leaving the locker room.

The addition of Howell indicates that McKee could miss time during the regular season, which begins when the Eagles host the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 4. Rookie quarterback Kyle McCord, who had been contending for the third-string quarterback role throughout training camp, has shown in the preseason that he still has a ways to go in his development and is not capable of assuming backup duties.

Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who was also in contention for the QB3 spot, was waived on Sunday afternoon. The 25-year-old quarterback had an unremarkable preseason, going 10-for-16 for 73 yards and one interception in two games (he did not play against the Jets). He also had one fumble.

After the game, Nick Sirianni was noncommittal about McKee’s availability for Week 1.

“We’ll see,” Sirianni said on Friday. “He’s working to get back, and we’ll see where he is.”

Howell has had a whirlwind start to his NFL career. He was selected by the Washington Commanders in the fifth round of the 2022 draft out of North Carolina, starting all 17 games for the Eagles’ divisional rival in 2023. That season, he threw a league-high 21 interceptions, as the Commanders finished the season 4-13 (tied for the second-worst record in the league). Still, Howell threw for nearly 4,000 yards and 21 touchdowns on a league-high 612 attempts.

Last year, Howell backed up then-Seattle Seahawks starter Geno Smith, taking just 25 snaps in two games. He signed with the Vikings in the offseason, contending for the backup gig behind J.J. McCarthy.

Howell had an up-and-down preseason showing with the Vikings. In his first game against the Houston Texans, Howell played the first half, completing 11 of 13 passes for 105 yards. He also had one fumble. The following week, Howell played just three drives, going 1-for-5 for 13 yards and throwing one interception.

The Vikings’ trade of Howell comes as Carson Wentz, the former Eagles quarterback, reportedly signed with Minnesota on Sunday after a tryout the previous day.

To make room for Howell on the 90-man roster, the Eagles waived/injured Cine, the 25-year-old safety who joined the active roster in January from the Buffalo Bills’ practice squad. Cine made his preseason debut on Friday against the Jets, as he had dealt with a groin injury for most of camp, and came up with an interception.

However, Cine injured himself late in the game and was spotted on crutches in the locker room afterward.