Even with a bit of a quiet Day 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft for the Philadelphia Eagles, they still made some loud noise with a move they made that could affect the roster for the upcoming season.
In the fifth round, the Eagles selected North Dakota State quarterback Cole Payton, sparking a whole new conversation about the roster. The Eagles have Tanner McKee and Andy Dalton battling it out for the QB2 job behind Jalen Hurts, but what does Payton's arrival mean for the future of the quarterback room?
After the draft concluded, Eagles general manager Howie Roseman spoke with the media, including a question about how the team would handle the quarterback room now that Payton is there. Roseman made it clear that the team is open to carrying four quarterbacks on the 53-man roster in 2026.
Howie Roseman says the Eagles are open to carrying four quarterbacks on their 53-man roster.
— Dave Zangaro (@DZangaroNBCS) April 26, 2026
Howie Roseman is open to four quarterbacks being on the roster
One thing that Roseman's comments could mean is that Payton will be more than a quarterback on this team. Similar to how the New Orleans Saints use Taysom Hill, Payton might have a similar utility role, playing quarterback, running back (which he did start a game at for North Dakota State), and potentially wide receiver/tight end, with some special teams mixed in.
It also speaks to how highly they value and see Payton in this offense. Last year's sixth-round pick, Kyle McCord, did not have as much love coming from the franchise that Payton appears to have.
What's also telling is that the Eagles may not be in a rush to trade McKee either, after he was linked to the New York Jets in the offseason. Philly might want to keep four just in case a quarterback injury leads to the Eagles getting a call to trade McKee away.
This won't affect Hurts as he is the clear-cut starting quarterback on the team. Dalton shouldn't be affected either, as he is most likely going to be QB3 unless McKee gets traded.
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Last year, the QB3 job was a big focus in training camp for the Eagles, but the quarterback position will get more attention this year to see how Payton does and if Philly should decide to just trade McKee away to another team so they can hand the backup keys to Payton for the foreseeable future.
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