Eagles Release Andy Dalton, Hand Backup Keys to Tanner McKee and Cole Payton

The Red Rifle's Philly era is officially over, and it ends with a quiet Friday news dump.

According to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, the Philadelphia Eagles are releasing veteran quarterback Andy Dalton. That leaves Tanner McKee and Cole Payton as the official understudies to Jalen Hurts moving forward.

"Mike Garafolo reported the release, noting McKee and Payton will be the backups moving forward."

Dalton was supposed to be the ultimate break-in-case-of-emergency option. You sign a guy who has seen every defensive coverage since the Obama administration so you don't have to panic if your franchise guy tweaks an ankle. Instead, Philadelphia is handing the clipboard duties to a duo that sounds like a boutique wealth management firm.

The Eagles are coming off a frustrating 24-20 home loss to the Los Angeles Rams. When a team is trying to clean up the margins, carrying a veteran quarterback who isn't going to see the field unless the season is already on fire suddenly becomes an expendable luxury.

McKee has been in the system and clearly showed enough in practice to make the front office comfortable pulling this ripcord. But let's be real about the stakes here. If Hurts goes down, the Eagles are now trusting a highly competitive roster to guys who have barely taken a meaningful NFL snap, rather than a guy with over 160 career starts.

Philadelphia heads south to face the Jacksonville Jaguars this Sunday. Hurts will be under center as usual, but the sideline dynamic is officially shifted. As for Dalton, he hits the open market right as the midseason quarterback injury carousel is about to start spinning. Someone will call.