Breaking: Kenny Pickett of the Eagles reacts to being replaced by a rookie.

“It’s a free contest.” How many times have we heard it when we entered a Philadelphia Eagles training camp? Heck, how often did we think that sentence wasn’t true?”

To be fair, that has occurred rather frequently, correct?

Indeed, in practice, jobs are earned and lost. Though it goes without saying, it does important where players were picked. The cost of acquiring a player and the amount of money the team spent on him will always be important factors.

You do recall how long Philly held onto JJ Arcega-Whiteside and Jalen Reagor? Not because the guys were having a good time, though. They took that action as a result of the boys’ draft location.

But there’s a fascinating tale developing in Eagles camp. The quarterback competition might be a worthy addition to our roster fight list.

We do not talk about the’money’ perspective too much, yet it matters. Since football is a business, there are situations when it’s preferable to exercise patience with someone who could be a significant dead cap hit.

That would be the explanation if you were wondering why it sometimes takes Philly so long to break things off. Heck, it’s one of the main reasons James Bradberry is still in the game.

Aside from the financial discussion, open competition is also allowed. It requires balancing. If compensated players are on the field but are unable to perform, no team wins.

This is where we’ll park for the remainder of the conversation while you think about something. Tanner McKee was selected by the Eagles with the 188th overall pick in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Kenny Pickett was taken by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the 20th overall pick in 2022, approximately 364 days prior to then. Maybe you did hear. This offseason, the Steelers sent Pickett to Philadelphia.

Let’s face it, McKee has been a member of the Birds’ roster for a longer time. When Philly traded for Pickett on March 16, didn’t we just assume that he would be the Eagles’ backup quarterback right away?

Why did we do it, now? Is it correct that we were considering draft positioning?

However, there is now a twist to our tale. Don’t assign Pickett as your starting quarterback just yet. The depth chart is still subject to change.

McKee has occasionally outperformed Pickett at Eagles camp. Naturally, people are starting to take notice.