Eagles Rookie QB Cole Payton Could Deliver ‘Wow Plays’ In 2026

{"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","mainEntityOfPage":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/eagles-rookie-qb-cole-payton-020220320.html","headline":"Eagles Rookie QB Cole Payton Could Deliver ‘Wow Plays’ In 2026","datePublished":"2026-04-28T02:02:20.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-28T02:02:20.000Z","keywords":["Jalen Hurts","Philadelphia Eagles","North Dakota State","Cole Payton","The Eagles","Nick Sirianni","2026 NFL Draft","Quarterback","Philadelphia","Arizona Wildcats","Andy Dalton","Tanner McKee"],"description":"Can Philadelphia Eagles rookie QB Cole Payton carve out a role in 2026? Here's what head coach Nick Sirianni thinks about the North Dakota State standout.","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Yahoo Sports","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://s.yimg.com/cv/apiv2/default/icons/favicon_y112_112.png","width":112,"height":112},"url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/"},"author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Trevor Woods, Contributor","url":"","jobTitle":""},"creator":{"@type":"Person","name":"Trevor Woods, Contributor","url":"","jobTitle":""},"provider":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Forbes","url":"https://www.forbes.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","width":226,"height":100,"url":"https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/8otqaZ2gd7Pxut2iOUbQcw--~B/aD0xMDA7dz0yMjY7YXBwaWQ9eXRhY2h5b24-/https://d29szjachogqwa.cloudfront.net/images/user-uploaded/forbes-light.png"}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/8Va4mfx7wUHqTPRyJ8TtZQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTE5MTg7aD0xNDU4O2NmPXdlYnA-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/forbes_contributor_845/ad27a85d474feba9148cce3cda71adeb","height":729,"width":959},"thumbnailUrl":"https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/8Va4mfx7wUHqTPRyJ8TtZQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTE5MTg7aD0xNDU4O2NmPXdlYnA-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/forbes_contributor_845/ad27a85d474feba9148cce3cda71adeb"}Story byEagles Rookie QB Cole Payton Could Deliver ‘Wow Plays’ In 2026TUCSON, AZ - SEPTEMBER 17: North Dakota State Quarterback Cole Payton (15) scrambles out of the pocket during a college football game between the Arizona Wildcats and the North Dakota State Bison on September 17, 2022, at Arizona Stadium in Tucson, AZ. (Photo by Zac BonDurant/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesTrevor Woods, ContributorTue, April 28, 2026 at 2:02 AM UTC·3 min readThe Philadelphia Eagles added a fourth quarterback to their roster on Saturday, selecting North Dakota State’s Cole Payton in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft.The Eagles have starting quarterback Jalen Hurts with Tanner McKee and veteran Andy Dalton on the depth chart, but can Payton make a push for backup duties in 2026? It’s possible.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement#_R_63iudcaanpfiv65bH1_ { display: none; } @media screen and (max-width: 767.95px) { #_R_63iudcaanpfiv65bH1_ { display: flex; } iframe { max-width: 100vw; } }Philadelphia Eagles Head Coach Nick Sirianni Evaluates QB Cole PaytonSpeaking with the media on Sunday, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni explained the rationale behind drafting Payton. His dual-threat abilities and penchant for impressive plays caught the eye of the Eagles.“Really, really athletic, really good with the ball in his hands in the quarterback run game, made great decisions with the football, accurate passer — 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,” Sirianni said, per Michael…

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