Kenny Pickett may have grown up a Philadelphia Eagles fan, but it was probably in his best interest to continue his NFL career outside of the State of Pennsylvania. The former Pitt star washed out after two years leading the Pittsburgh Steelers. While he did earn a Super Bowl in last year in Philadelphia, he was only Jalen Hurts' backup. Pickett is now with the Cleveland Browns, but a new face emerges...
Despite having another promising backup in Tanner McKee, Philadelphia opted to bring in another one of their native sons in former St. Joseph's Preparatory standout, Ohio State Buckeyes starter and Syracuse Orange revelation Kyle McCord. While he may have been a sixth-round pick, he is a former five-star and best friends with his former high school and Ohio State teammate Marvin Harrison Jr.
In a way, this may only be a feel-good story, but then again, McCord kind of bleeds Philadelphia. At some point, the idea of McKee will have to manifest into something. Stanford was largely terrible when he played in Palo Alto. As for McCord, he brought Syracuse back from the dead under first-year head coach Fran Brown. As head coach Nick Sirianni would say, McCord may have that dog in him.
All I can see from this is McCord better encapsulates Philadelphia's team mentality than Pickett.
Why Kyle McCord might be the perfect backup for Jalen Hurts on Eagles
Throughout his college football career split between Ohio State and Syracuse, McCord was an incredibly polarizing player. He was thought to be the heir apparent to C.J. Stroud in Columbus, but it was not a seamless transition for the Buckeyes at quarterback. McCord struggled in the big spots, but still found ways to win games with the absurd amount of talent that was around him at Ohio State.
Transferring to Syracuse to play for Brown was a bold move, but one that worked out for both parties. They shared a Philadelphia connection, as Brown spent the bulk of his coaching career on various Temple Owls staffs. Syracuse massively overachieved and was the team that kept the Miami Hurricanes out of the ACC Championship Game and the College Football Playoff at large. Impressive!
When I watched McCord play last year at SU, I saw him play totally unencumbered. Yes, he made mistakes. Look no further than the disaster of a game he had vs. Pitt. That being said, we saw a guy play more within himself at quarterback. McCord played with the necessary toughness and conviction that you need to have to work in Philadelphia. I never felt Pickett ever gave off that vibe.
To tie a bow on this, McCord might be the backup worth investing in for Philadelphia. Not to say it checks the same boxes that Hurts did coming out of Oklahoma by way of Alabama, but the upside is certainly there. McCord has shown both an ability to thrive playing in an ensemble cast, as well as having to take things into his own hands to make something happen. He is the gamer Philly needs.
It is only a matter of time before McCord pushes McKee to become the Eagles' primary backup.