When it comes to rolling the dice on projects with tantalizing but unrefined talent, Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman routinely rises above the field of front office executives.
Time and again, Roseman and his scouting department have identified prospects from all over the world and brought them on board without hesitation. Of course, the seventh-round selection back in 2018 of Jordan Mailata, who had never played a single snap of football before leaving the Australian Rugby pitch for life on the gridiron in Philadelphia, offers the clearest example of the fearless front office shot-caller striking gold.
Plenty of folks scratched their heads when Roseman tabbed small-school dynamo Jalyx Hunt, a former safety-turned-pass-rushing menace, three drafts ago in the third round. If Roseman and his group sense that a prospect's upside is remarkably strong, regardless of naysayers or draft projections, they'll pounce on that player.
In this past draft, Roseman once again targeted a pair of raw but extremely high-upside prospects in quarterback Cole Payton (fifth round) and defensive tackle Uar Bernard (seventh round).
Will Cole Payton and Uar Bernard make the Eagles' 53-man roster?
Zach Berman of The Athletic shed some light on how he views the roster status and overall job security of both rookies, as each faces a roster crunch for a team with strong Super Bowl designs.
"Whether it’s keeping three quarterbacks because of a trade or Cole Payton’s performance (or injury) in training camp/preseason, or a Bernard injury that allows the Eagles to stash him on injured reserve, it will sort itself out."
"I’m skeptical that the Eagles would be able to keep Bernard with the international player designation, which is essentially an extra practice squad spot. Another team might be inclined to sign him to the 53-man roster and stash him. It depends on how he looks this summer. But the Eagles showed with Jordan Mailata in 2018 and 2019 that they were not going to release a project with organizational investment, and I expect them to treat Bernard the same way. That might be a luxury spot on the roster (or a conveniently timed injury)."
Of course, the possibility for a bit of a phantom injury might be in store for either rookie, enabling Philadelphia to stash one on the injured reserve. However, with the shaky recent performance of veteran FA acquisition Andy Dalton, it appears Tanner McKee has a firm grasp on backup QB duties, leaving Payton in a solid spot to develop all season long.
Electing to put Dalton on the practice squad would leave the door open for another team to snag the 16-year vet, or they may just cut him outright, but another veteran third-string signal-caller can always be acquired on the open market. Ultimately, Payton's upside and skill set should keep him in town, regardless of Dalton and McKee.
And when it comes to Bernard, shades of a Mailata-type scenario seem to be taking shape. Back in 2018, Philadelphia refused to place the Australian rugby player on the practice squad for fear he would be claimed by another team. Named to the 53-man roster despite being raw at the time, he would eventually go on IR in December of his rookie season, but the premise here remains the same: Bernard has already been turning heads, leaving Mailata himself in awe of his uncanny upside.
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Throw in the fact that defensive line coach Clint Hurtt banged on the proverbial table for him on draft weekend, and it appears these two rookies aren't leaving the nest anytime soon.
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