For two decades, reading a Bill Belichick injury report felt like decoding a puzzle note. Players listed as questionable showed up fine, and players who looked fine disappeared. Fans shrugged and called it Belichick being Belichick. Decades later, Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni confirmed that his team also plays a similar game.

Earlier in the week, Sirianni publicly confirmed that Tanner McKee would remain the Philadelphia Eagles’ starting quarterback. However, on Thursday, November 5, 2026, Sirianni pivoted, announcing that backup Joe Milton would actually get the start instead of McKee

“So, no, it came out from somewhere else. I was going to hold on to that as long as I possibly could, every second, every minute. I’m not really shy with you guys. I’m going to tell you what I want to tell you guys,” Sirianni said in a press conference. “I respect the job that y’all have to do, but I’m going to tell you what I want to tell you guys. Because I’m always going to protect the team first and foremost.

“And every second that goes by in a situation like that, you can hold on to information as long as you possibly can, is a little less time for the opponent to get ready for the game. And so I know there’s a lot of interest in everything that you all want to hear, the fans want to hear. My job is to win football games and do everything we can do to help win football games and protect the guys here on this football team and handle, you know, everything that I can inside.”

The intention behind keeping the team news secret was simple: the move forces the opposing coaching staff to prepare two entirely separate game plans.

The Eagles had a strong start to the 2026 season. They defeated the Washington Commanders and the Tennessee Titans in a trot in the opening two games. However, following the Week 2 win against the Titans, the Eagles were nowhere close to how they’d started.

They are now on a six-game losing streak, with a 2-6 record. Additionally, there were several reasons behind the Eagles’ poor run of form.

First off, Sirianni’s franchise quarterback Jalen Hurts was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis and bilateral pulmonary emboli, a condition that stemmed from a calf hit in Week 4, leading to blood clots traveling to both of his lungs, sidelining him for the rest of the season.

The Eagles’ offense is also short on its top playmakers, with wide receivers DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks missing games due to injuries.

Amid these absences, backup Tanner McKee went 0–3 as a starter. Subsequently, Nick Sirianni benched McKee ahead of Week 9 to start Joe Milton III, a third-string quarterback signed off the Dallas Cowboys‘ practice squad just weeks prior.

That said, the Eagles now have four different quarterbacks attempt a pass this season, the first time that has happened to the franchise since 1991. But will Sirianni’s attempt to keep the other teams guessing about their starting lineup actually turn their season around?