PHILADELPHIA — “It’s been a while since I’ve done this,” Eagles third-string quarterback Tanner McKee joked as he settled in behind the podium for his postgame press conference. “It’s like I’m back in college.” In his first NFL start on Sunday — a 20-13 win over the New York Giants, who had most of their starting defense on the field — McKee looked like he’d arrived as a pro. The strapping, Southern California kid, whom the Eagles drafted in the sixth round out of Stanford two years ago, finished 27 of 41 for 269 yards and a pair of touchdowns with a QB rating of 100.6. He spread the love around to eight different receivers, and his 190 passing yards in the first half were the most by an Eagles quarterback this season. “I think that credit goes to (Eagles offensive coordinator) Kellen (Moore) for calling good plays, getting everybody touches,” McKee said. “I’m going through my progressions a lot of the time. A lot of times it’s pick your matchup, or leverage, or whatever that is. But a lot of times I’m going through the progressions and trying to find the open guy.” McKee threw his first NFL touchdown a week earlier against the Cowboys in relief of Kenny Pickett. He ended up throwing a second one before the game was over. All of this recent success comes after an impressive training camp. “I thought he was in complete control of the game today, making good decisions,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. “I felt like he got to his checkdown a couple times, that was really impressive, to (running back) Will Shipley a couple times. Really impressive. Strung together a couple good quarters last game and then a full good game today. Every time he gets an opportunity in practice, he does a really good job. “We’re excited about Tanner and the player he is. I love our quarterback room, obviously starting with Jalen (Hurts) and all the great things Jalen has done this year to help us get to where we are right now. Kenny has had really good minutes and played a good game last week. Played a good game against Washington. Then Tanner doing what he did today and at the end of the Dallas week last week. Love that room.” Had the Eagles not traded for Pickett in the offseason, it’s conceivable McKee would be their second-string QB. Pickett is in the third year of a four-year rookie contract worth $14.1 million. The Eagles could pick up a fifth-year option in 2026, but would have to pay him around $25 million. McKee’s rookie deal is worth $4 million. If he continues to produce at that bargain price, Pickett could become trade bait in the upcoming offseason. “He’s a leader,” Eagles running back Will Shipley said of McKee. “He knows how to control not only a huddle, but knows how to control a game. When you’re out there with him, you just feel really comfortable. He knows what’s going on, and you’ve just got to listen to him and know your role and your part. He does a great job leading the offense, and it was really fun being out there with him today.” McKee overcame serious personal adversity in high school when he was diagnosed with melanoma at age 16 after his mother noticed a concerning mole on his face. Dr. Maki Yamamoto at UC Irvine Medical Center cut into his head to excise the cancer, and also removed two lymph nodes in his neck to make sure the disease hadn’t spread. The lymph nodes were located near a nerve that could have affected McKee’s throwing motion if anything went wrong, but he came through the surgery without a hitch. A few years later, at the tail end of his sophomore season (the 2020 COVID year), he won the starting job at Stanford. He went on to throw for 5,336 yards, with 28 touchdowns and 15 interceptions, in his career there before the Eagles plucked him in the 2023 draft. Stanford was a combined 6-18 during his tenure as a full-time starter, but did manage to knock off a third-ranked Oregon team in 2021. “It’s huge, just seeing how fast the game is, seeing the different looks that people are going to give you, different checks,” McKee said in reference to playing the last two weeks. “You can do a lot of walkthroughs and, you know, a lot of practice, but there is a little bit of difference in the game, you know, the adrenaline and what’s on the line and things like that. So, it is nice to kind of have that under my belt. And I think ultimately, for me, it just builds confidence, which is great. “I’m happy to kind of get my feet wet a little bit, obviously, with my first start, and grow, watch the film, and learn from the experience.” The Eagles seem happy with him, too.