Why Nick Sirianni Kept Joe Milton III’s Starting Role Hidden From The New York Giants

Joe Milton III gets his first NFL start as Nick Sirianni keeps the New York Giants guessing.© Image via: X/@NFL_DovKleiman

Nick Sirianni never hid the fact that he bends the truth. On Wednesday, the Philadelphia Eagles coach left Tanner McKee's benching out of his media session, though McKee had heard the news a day earlier. Thursday brought the reveal: Joe Milton III, a quarterback signed off the Dallas Cowboys practice squad only weeks ago, will start Sunday against the New York Giants. Sirianni owns the delay and offers no apology. His team is 2-6 and spiraling, so every small edge counts. Coaches guard quarterback news like trade secrets, and this one did it out loud.

Nick Sirianni Defends The Philadelphia Eagles' Silence

By his own account, the story reached the public through another source before he was ready. Asked about it, he gave a blunt answer.

"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. He kept going.

"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 Eagles are making a QB change in Week 9 and will be starting Joe Milton III against the Giants, per multiple reports. https://t.co/QP3a8b9WPB

— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) November 4, 2026

Football has a long tradition of this. Bill Belichick spent two decades turning injury reports into riddles. The difference here is the cost. Reporters passed along McKee as the starter, and fans believed it.

Joe Milton III Takes Over For Tanner McKee

The switch follows a rough stretch. McKee lost all three of his starts after Jalen Hurts was ruled out for the season with deep vein thrombosis and blood clots in both lungs. DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks have missed games too, leaving the passer with thin support.

Milton played college ball at Tennessee, and Sunday gives him his first NFL start. He will be the fourth Eagles quarterback to throw a pass this season, the first time that has happened in Philadelphia since 1991.

The Eagles beat the Washington Commanders and the Tennessee Titans to open the year. They have lost six straight since.