Eagles Rookie Could Climb Depth Chart Faster Than Some May Think

PHILADELPHIA – Cole Payton was asked at last week’s rookie minicamp about the tush push. “The Brotherly Shove is what I heard it’s called,” said the Eagles’ fifth-round draft pick. “Let’s go, let’s do it.”

Good answer, but he might not get to do it for a while, and it’s not because the league veered away from banning it because the Eagles weren’t any good at it last year, leading the league’s owners, GM, coaches, and media mouthpieces put away their torches and pitch forks and shelf the issue for now.

It’s because Payton is at the bottom of a four-person depth chart at quarterback. Who knows when he may see the bright lights of an NFL game that counts?

“I think it starts with just doing whatever the team needs, whatever that looks like - competing, improving and growing and learning and following their (the other quarterbacks’) lead,” he said.

Those other quarterbacks are, of course, Jalen Hurts, No. 2 Tanner McKee, and veteran No. 3 Andy Dalton. Despite rumors, the Eagles never traded McKee leading up to or during the draft. McKee, who was taken in the sixth round of the 2023 draft as the 188th overall selection, came 10 picks later than where the Eagles took Payton at 178 overall.

The Eagles liked McKee’s toughness after getting up and continuing to compete after absorbing 64 sacks in his final two years at Stanford. As for Payton, there was a lot to like, too, including his 52 games played at NDSU and his dual-threat ability – 3,190 career yards passing, with a 72 percent completion rate last season, 21 TD passes to six interceptions, 1,919 yards rushing with 31 rushing TDs.

"Best Athlete On The Field"

Eagles QB Cole Payton at rookie camp on May 1, 2026. | John McMullen/Eagles On SI

Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni watched plenty of tape on Payton and said that there were four times he wrote down, “best athlete on the field.” The coach added: “There are some ‘wow’ plays on his tape that are really impressive.”

McKee is in the final year of his contract and Dalton, who turns 39 in October, can’t play forever, so Payton’s depth chart ascension could be meteoric.

In addition to Payton, North Dakota State has had four other quarterbacks drafted in the last 10 years starting with Carson Wentz and followed by Easton Stick, Trey Lance, and Cam Miller. Only Wentz and Lance came in the first round.

While Wentz became the first quarterback to make a start with six different teams in six consecutive seasons, the Eagles don’t win a Super Bowl without him taking them to the No. 1 seed in 2017 before an injury derailed him.

“Carson’s a stud,” said Payton, who shares an agent with Wentz but has only met him a handful of times. “He really put NDSU on the map.”

Lance was a bust as the third overall pick by the 49ers in 2021; Easton was Justin Herbert’s backup in Los Angles for four seasons but left for the Atlanta Falcons this past offseason, and Miller is waiting his turn in Carolina after the Panthers took him in the sixth round last year.

While Payton could scale the depth chart to where he’s next year’s No. 2 behind Hurts, there could be a role for him even this season.

“In college, I got a couple reps at running back, at tight end even in game, so we played with that a little bit,” he said. “In practice, I was doing special teams drills. As a junior I also started on punt, even as the backup quarterback, so I’ve done a little bit of it. …I just love the game of football.”

The final decision as to whether Payton will have some sort of role will be up to Sirianni and OC Sean Mannion.

“We’ll see how that goes,” said Sirianni. “We’ll get him here, get him acclimated here … learning the playbook and seeing where we go from there.”

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