The Philadelphia Eagles might have encountered a surprise during the early days of their offseason organized team activities.

Eagles star quarterback Jalen Hurts has cemented his position as one of the premier signal-callers in the entire NFL, securing one of the largest contracts in league history.

However, the 25-year-old has faced some competition as reports suggest he was being outperformed in the OTAs by backup quarterback Kenny Pickett.

"Kenny Pickett delivers. The backup quarterback looked sharp, sharper than Jalen Hurts, to be honest... [Pickett] was consistently on target. The Eagles can win games with him if something happens to Hurts," Philadelphia journalist Ed Kracz wrote in Sports Illustrated.

Pickett arrived in Philadelphia last March, with the Eagles trading a 2024 third-round pick (No. 98), two 2025 seventh-round picks, and a 2024 fourth-round pick (No. 120) after the Steelers signed the nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson.

Kenny Pickett's tenure with the Pittsburgh Steelers

Pickett, the Steelers' 20th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, was anticipated to take over as the franchise quarterback following Ben Roethlisberger's retirement after the 2021 season.

However, the 25-year-old, who also played college football in the city with the Pittsburgh Panthers, struggled during his time with the Steelers.

Despite starting for two seasons, Pickett's performance was underwhelming, with only 13 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in 24 starts.

A setback came in Week 13 of the 2023 season when Pickett suffered a high ankle sprain. Although he was fit to play in Week 18, he didn't reclaim his starting role, as backup Mason Rudolph had found success in his absence.