Cole Payton actually made his NFL debut a week ago, but it wasn’t as a quarterback.
The former North Dakota State star is now a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, and in Week 5, he played on special teams for 10 snaps.
“Last week was a blast,” Payton told reporters this week, via NBC Sports Philadelphia. “I’m willing to do whatever it takes. I’ll do whatever. I love the game.”
In Week 6 against the Carolina Panthers, though, Payton is just one play away from getting his first snaps at quarterback.
The Eagles don’t have Jalen Hurts due to a blood clot issue, and so they’re shorthanded at the most important position in sports.
That brings Payton into the potential spotlight.
Eagles QB Depth Chart
The Philadelphia Eagles normally have Jalen Hurts starting, but he’s out in Week 6. That moves everyone up a spot.
The new Eagles starter is the 6-foot-6 former Stanford QB Tanner McKee, who has started two games in his NFL career before Sunday.
McKee is a lot different than Hurts, as he doesn’t move around much. He’s a pocket passer.
Behind McKee on Sunday will be Cole Payton.
Payton was a 2026 NFL Draft fifth-round pick by the Eagles out of NDSU, and he’s a mobile lefty. He is more like Hurts in terms of play style.
The Eagles likely were never going to rush Payton into playing, but on Sunday, they wouldn’t have a choice if McKee had to leave the game at any point.
Philadelphia did add another quarterback during the week, signing Joe Milton off of the Cowboys practice squad. But Milton hasn’t been around long enough to be ready to back up McKee, so at least for a week, Payton is the QB2.
“I think he’s worked his butt off,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni told reporters on Friday about Payton. “He gets plays in those developmental periods. He gets reps on the scout team as well. He works extremely hard with the coaches after practice. He gets even more reps there after practice with [Quarterbacks Coach] Parks [Frazier] and with Gummy [Offensive Assistant/Assistant Quarterbacks Coach Montgomery VanGorder], just continuing to go through different things that we have as tools.”
Cole Payton NDSU Career
Payton started just one season for the Bison after previously being mostly a gadget player as a runner.
In 2025, Payton completed 72.0% of his passes for 2,719 yards with 16 touchdowns and four interceptions. He also ran 136 times for 777 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Overall in his NDSU career, Payton ran 287 times for 1,919 yards and 31 TDs.
He threw just five touchdowns before 2025, but he had already run for 18 touchdowns even while not being the starting QB — including 13 in the 2023 season when he ran 84 times for 615 yards.
Bison fans know how impressive Payton can be with the ball in his hands. Maybe that’ll soon be on show in the NFL.
What to Know About Cole Payton, NDSU QB Now in Key Eagles Depth Chart Spot