The Philadelphia Eagles face the strong possibility of keeping four quarterbacks on their 2026 active roster. That’s because the team possessed three signal-callers with well-defined roles and then added North Dakota State’s Cole Payton in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Retaining four signal-callers would be a lot easier decision for the Eagles if one of the quarterbacks contributed in another area. Standing at more than 230 pounds with dual-threat capabilities, Payton is the obvious choice to potentially do that.
The rookie is open to the possibility too.
“If that’s what the team wants, if that’s what team needs, I’m all for it,” Payton said to reporters, via Philly Voice’s Jimmy Kempski, at the team’s rookie minicamp.
Payton also told the media he played running back and tight end at North Dakota State. Finally, Payton also played on special teams in college.
Last year, the quarterback completed 72% of his passes while averaging 12.1 yards per attempt. But he also ran for 777 yards with 13 touchdowns. Payton averaged 6.7 yards per carry in his five-year college career.
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Payton joined the Philadelphia roster less than two weeks ago. But there’s already quite a buzz around the fifth-round pick playing a different position.
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni raved about Payton’s accuracy as a quarterback. But he was also complimentary of the signal-caller’s raw athleticism.
“Really, really athletic, really good with the ball in his hands in the quarterback run game, made great decisions with the football, accurate passer,” said Sirianni on April 25 after Day 3 of the NFL Draft. “72 percent last year as a starter, and you can’t be that unless you’re making good, accurate throws and going the right place with the ball.
“There are some ‘Wow’ plays on his tape that are really impressive. I think I charted four times he jumped over somebody. Or I wrote down a bunch of times, ‘He’s the best athlete on the field.’”
Immediately after drafting the North Dakota State quarterback, Sirianni stopped short of stating Payton will play elsewhere in 2026. But the narrative has still grown enough for the fifth-rounder to be receiving questions about the topic.
Perhaps Payton could take some of the load away from Jalen Hurts on the team’s famous “tush push” play. The possibility of the Eagles getting Payton involved at tight end or on special teams also exists.
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Philadelphia might try to get Payton involved at another position this offseason in order to justify retaining four quarterbacks.
The Eagles are in a position to have four signal-callers because they already had Hurts, Andy Dalton and Tanner McKee on their roster before drafting Payton.
Hurts obviously returns as the team’s starter. McKee is the team’s intriguing depth signal-caller who could serve as QB2 during 2026. But the Eagles also traded for Dalton this offseason.
The Eagles could shop Dalton on the trade market. Pundits have speculated he could be the odd-man out this summer. But that doesn’t seem likely given how recent his acquisition was.
If the Eagles value Dalton’s experience, then they will have to find room for four quarterbacks to keep Payton on the roster.
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