As the NFL world continues to grapple with the news that Jalen Hurts' season is all but over after discovering blood clots in his lungs, the Philadelphia Eagles still have to play games, with Tanner McKee taking over full-time as the team's interim QB1.

Discussing what he saw from McKee against the Carolina Panthers on 94WIP, Donovan McNabb took a victory lap of sorts on the fans who have been calling for the fourth-year backup to replace Hurts for years, as the results didn't quite live up to expectations.

“Everybody was barking for Tanner McKee over the last couple of years,” McNabb said. “They were saying, ‘Oh, he's a better passer. He gets the ball out, anticipates his throws. He throws a friendly ball to the receivers.’ Everybody was trying to find everything positive about Tanner McKee. Now, after watching him play, everybody's like, ‘Oh, well, we miss Jalen.’ Like it never fails. It really does, it never fails. Everybody loves the backup until you see the backup.”

Donovan McNabb on comparing Jalen Hurts and Tanner McKee:

"Everybody loves the backup until you see the backup." 😳 pic.twitter.com/2YF7HFmSII

— SPORTSRADIO 94WIP (@SportsRadioWIP) October 19, 2026

Asked to “come on,” McNabb instead doubled down, reminding listeners that he had to deal with the very same thing throughout his career with reserves like Kevin Kolb and Jeff Garcia back in the day.

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“I mean, I've seen it. I've seen it. Yeah, I've been a part of it,” McNabb noted. “Everybody loves the backup. You know, when they see a couple, you know, sprinkles in the preseason or he gets in the game because you’re hurt. They say, ‘Well, he should be playing.’ And all of a sudden it's like, ‘Well, if our starter was in the game,’ It's like, ‘Okay, now you love me’ when I'm on the sideline. But while I'm in, it's not enough.”

Now granted, maybe McNabb is, in fact, having flashbacks to his own playing career, when fans were calling for a backup to take over at quarterback and finally bring a Super Bowl trophy to the City of Brotherly Love. Maybe he doesn't like how Hurts was treated in the past and how some are now turning around on QB1 in this new light. But excluding the Hurts of it all, one thing is true: McKee is a very different quarterback for the Eagles, and they will have to get creative to maximize his skill set if they want to win any more games this year.