CHARLOTTE — Some of them saw the news on their phones after coming in from Thursday's walk-through. Some of them didn't realize it until midway through Thursday's practice.

But afterward, the conversation focused on how quickly things changed for the Panthers around 1 p.m., particularly for their defense, after the news broke that Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was out this week with a blood clot. And because they've seen right tackle Taylor Moton go through a version of the same problem, their first concern is for his health, and they expressed that.

But the football part of this has them scrambling a bit. Hurts will be replaced by 2023 sixth-round pick Tanner McKee, who has thrown 88 passes over the last two seasons, appearing in six games with two starts.

Panthers defensive tackle Derrick Brown said he didn't find out until about halfway through practice (which started about 45 minutes after the news broke), and admitted he's about to do a lot more research on McKee.

"Obviously you're going into the week, you got to play that offense, you know it's a two-phase offense, right, with the run game and the pass game?" Brown said. "So until you get to Sunday, you can't, you can't decide that, right? Like you don't know what the backup quarterback's got.

"So I've got to go back and watch tape on him, but I'm not real familiar with him, so I mean I'm going to go back and watch tape and see what he does."

Panthers outside linebacker Jaelan Phillips was with the Eagles last year, saw McKee on the scout team, and knows he can make plays.

"He throws the ball really well," Phillips said of McKee. "Good pocket presence. So he's definitely a good quarterback, no slouch at all.

I mean, we prepare the same way. It doesn't really matter who they have. We've got to execute the way we need to, obviously. You know it changes what they might do, which then changes a little bit what we might do, but it's not like it's a different mentality. Prepare for everything the same way. Yeah, I mean, like I said, like they're going to do different things, so we're going to play a little bit differently, probably, but ultimately I have to just prepare and execute the same way. . . .

"He has a good pocket presence; he has good composure. He doesn't feel like a backup quarterback per se. He goes in the game, and he commands the game, so like I said, I can't take him lightly at all."

Phillips said he found out the news on his phone before he went out to practice, which was the common denominator among players and coaches (news travels fast these days).

And with their time post-practice, as Brown said, they're learning what they can about McKee in a hurry. Linebacker Devin Lloyd said they'd all be talking to backup quarterback Kenny Pickett this week, since Pickett played there in 2024. In fact, McKee's first appearance in a game was in relief of Pickett against the Cowboys in Week 17 (throwing two touchdowns), and he started the following week.

And because Pickett also knows Hurts well from his time there, his first concern was about his former teammates' health. But he was impressed with McKee during his time there as well.

"Yeah, he just prepares," Pickett said of McKee. "Preparation is so key, and you know you don't get the reps, but you have to be so mentally locked in, and he does a great job of that. He's an awesome guy, you know, always rooting for him except, you know, this Sunday.

When asked about the difference it would make in the Eagles' offense, Pickett immediately pointed to the difference in running ability.

"I mean, everyone's going to point out mobility," Pickett said. "But he's a smart guy who's in the room, and it's a different offensive staff from when I was there, but I'm sure they're going to tailor the game plan to do what he does really well, and he'll get the ball out."

Of course, the Panthers aren't without their own challenges. This is still the same team that lost starting cornerbacks Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson to injured reserve the week before the bye, and are still looking for answers at that position until they can potentially return later in the year.

Phillips has been through enough injuries in his life to understand and value empathy, but he also knows that come Sunday at 1 p.m., it's irrelevant. The Eagles were also without running back Saquon Barkley and wide receiver DeVonta Smith during the media portion of practice Thursday, adding to their issues. The Eagles recently lost cornerstone right tackle Lane Johnson to a surprise retirement, traded center Cam Jurgens, and have other injuries stacked up on offense.

"What is true is that it doesn't matter," Phillips said. "Like you still have to show up. You can't use that as an excuse. That's the next guy mentality. So you know, definitely that's what they're talking about over there.

"They're not going to take it easy on us or make excuses just because their guys are hurt. So we're not going to, you know, make excuses or give them a pass just because their guys are hurt."