Cole Payton has spent his first NFL season mostly out of sight. On Sunday, with Jalen Hurts on injured reserve and Tanner McKee starting, the rookie from North Dakota State is in uniform as the Philadelphia Eagles’ backup quarterback for the first time, one hit away from running the offense against the Carolina Panthers. He says he is ready for it.
The Eagles confirmed the order when they announced their inactives about 90 minutes before kickoff: Joe Milton, signed on Friday off the Dallas Cowboys’ practice squad, will not dress as the third quarterback, which leaves Payton as McKee’s only cover.
Today's Inactives#CARvsPHI pic.twitter.com/pTvtYS9pec
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) October 18, 2026
Payton spoke at his locker after Friday’s practice and told reporters he has prepared every week as though he were the starter, including the weeks he was a healthy scratch. “I feel very confident for when my number’s called,” he said.
The climb up the depth chart happened fast. Andy Dalton opened the season as the No. 2, attempted a single pass all year, picked off by the Chicago Bears near their goal line in Week 3, and was released on October 9. McKee moved up. Then the blood clot in Hurts’ calf sent the starter to injured reserve on Saturday, which keeps him out for at least four games. McKee now makes his third career start, and Payton sits second in line.
Tanner McKee is the Eagles’ QB for at least the next four games.
Cole Payton, Joe Milton are the other QBs on the roster. https://t.co/wQSUj09EWt
— Zach Berman (@ZBerm) October 17, 2026
A fifth-round pick still learning the pro game
Philadelphia drafted Payton in the fifth round in April and signed him on May 1 with the rest of its rookie class. His regular-season résumé is short: his first appearance came on special teams, 10 snaps in the 19-17 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in London on Sunday, October 11. He did not take an offensive snap. “I’m willing to do whatever it takes,” he said of that assignment.
His summer was uneven. Payton played with a gunslinger’s mindset in training camp and the preseason, attacking windows that Eagles quarterbacks usually leave alone, and several of those throws were intercepted. The work since then, by his account and his coaches’, has centered on footwork, timing and getting the ball out on rhythm against faster defenders.
Nick Sirianni has pointed to what happens after practice ends. The head coach said Payton puts in extra throwing work once practice ends, with Parks Frazier and Montgomery VanGorder, the staff’s quarterback coaches, and Hurts has often lingered to watch those sessions. General manager Howie Roseman described the rookie as a player the club values for the long term. Payton was just as clear about the pecking order: he said he fully trusts McKee to lead the offense.
Why the backup job matters now
The Eagles are 2-3 and have lost three straight. In London they managed 232 yards of offense and 22 rushing yards on 18 carries, and the injury list has only grown since. Saquon Barkley and Hollywood Brown are among Sunday’s inactives, and Will Shipley, who scored the rushing touchdown against Jacksonville, went to injured reserve on Friday. A thin offense led by a backup quarterback leaves little margin, which is why the No. 2 job carries real weight for the next month. The full list of absences is on the injury report, and every roster move is on the transactions page.
What comes next
The Eagles host the Panthers at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, October 18, at 1:00 p.m. EDT; follow it in the Panthers-Eagles Game Center. Philadelphia then hosts the Dallas Cowboys on Monday, October 26, at 8:15 p.m. EDT. Payton’s numbers and profile are on his player page.
No published comments yet. Start the conversation.