Eagles newcomers ’26: Cole Payton could bring interesting new dimension to quarterback room
Also, another former collegiate standout from the Dakotas, Tucker Large, seeks to beat the odds and carve out a role.
With Eagles training camp drawing nearer, The Inquirer is taking a closer look at the more than three dozen new faces who are expected to report along with the rest of the team on July 28.
Player: Cole Payton
Position: Quarterback
Age: 23
Previous experience: Before the Eagles selected him in the fifth round this year, Payton spent the last five seasons at North Dakota State. He started 13 games in 2025, his lone season as the starting quarterback, completing 161 passes for 2,719 yards and 16 touchdowns. His passer rating (193.8) and yards per pass attempt (12.1) set single-season school records.
But the 6-foot-3, 232-pound Payton wasn’t just a passer. He was also lauded for his rushing ability, racking up 1,918 rushing yards and 31 touchdowns on 287 carries over his five seasons in Fargo. Payton set single-season school records in total offensive yards per game (268.9) and yards per play (9.71) in his redshirt senior season.
Whether a 2026 draft choice, a veteran addition, or a rookie free-agent hopeful, we’re telling you more about each player’s potential role this season. We’re rolling out two players per day in a mostly unscientific order that balances offense and defense, bigger names with mysteries, and locks with longer shots to be chosen for the 53-man roster.
- QB Andy Dalton, DB Kapena Gushiken
- LB Arnold Ekibetie, OL Jaedan Roberts
- WR Elijah Moore, RB Dameon Pierce
- T Markel Bell, EDGE Joshua Weru
- G Michael Jordan, LS Rocco Underwood
- TE Eli Stowers, S Maximus Pulley
- LB Jonathan Greenard, T John Ojukwu
- TE Stone Smartt, LB Deontae Lawson
- TE Johnny Mundt, DE Ta'Quon Graham
- S Cole Wisniewski, RB Elijah Mitchell
- WR Makai Lemon, CB Shaun Wade
- CB Jonathan Jones, WR Samori Touré
- DE A.J. Epenesa, G Micah Morris
Payton hails from Omaha, Neb., where he played at Westside High School. He earned 2020-21 Nebraska Gatorade Player of the Year honors while throwing for 1,704 yards and 22 touchdowns on 113 passes that season. He also rushed for 1,029 yards and 17 touchdowns on 124 carries.
Path to a roster spot: Payton is a fifth-round pick at the most important position on the field, so it seems unlikely that the Eagles would try to sneak him through waivers to the practice squad at the end of training camp. Perhaps the Eagles could move Tanner McKee before the cutdown deadline, or they could keep all four quarterbacks including Andy Dalton on the roster, a departure from their trend of carrying three.
Regardless, barring a disastrous training camp and preseason, Payton is likely to make the initial 53-man roster. He won’t be the primary backup to Jalen Hurts this season, but he could contend for the role in the future. In the short term, could Payton find a role as a Taysom Hill-esque gadget player? Nick Sirianni said after the draft that “we’ll see how that goes” once he gets acclimated to the playbook.
Fun fact: Payton made his first start at North Dakota State in the home opener against Tennessee State in 2024 … as a running back. He had three carries for 6 yards and two receptions for 5 yards in that game, but he also completed three passes for 29 yards and a touchdown at quarterback.
Additionally, Payton is left-handed, which is a rarity in the NFL. He joins Atlanta’s Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. and Cleveland’s Dillon Gabriel among the handful of active left-handed quarterbacks in the league.
Quotable: “Really, really athletic. Really good with the ball in his hands in the quarterback run game. Made great decisions with the football. Accurate passer. As you know, 72% [completion] last year as a starter. And you can’t be that unless you’re making good, accurate throws and going to the right place with the ball. But there’s some wild plays on his tape that are really impressive. I think I charted four times he jumped over somebody or [I] wrote down a bunch of times that he’s the best athlete on the field.” — Sirianni on Payton after the draft
Player: Tucker Large
Position: Safety
Age: 23
Previous experience: Large, 5-11, 185 pounds, was a preferred walk-on at FCS school South Dakota State in 2021, with most of his college offers coming from Division II teams, according to the Spokesman-Review. He began playing football relatively late at Roosevelt High School in Sioux Falls, S.D., earning meaningful snaps by his junior season.
He had a breakout year at South Dakota State in 2023, his redshirt sophomore season, on defense and as a return specialist. Large led the FCS national championship team with nine pass breakups and ranked second with four interceptions (including one returned for a touchdown). He also set a single-season school record with 149 punt-return yards on four attempts against Drake.
Large transferred to Washington State for his redshirt senior season in 2025 after WSU hired coach Jimmy Rogers away from SDSU. He started all 13 games at safety, registering 71 tackles (three for losses) and eight pass breakups. Large sustained an apparent right knee injury in the Idaho Potato Bowl victory over Utah State in late December.
Large signed with the Eagles as an undrafted free agent after his five-year college career, but he was waived with an injury designation and placed on the Reserve/Non-Football Injury list in May.
Path to a roster spot: Safety depth on the practice squad. His experience as a return specialist could help him carve out a role, too. But Large faces an uphill battle to stick with the Eagles in any capacity given his injury and his lack of practice time with the team. If he is cleared to return and participate in training camp, he could have a chance to vie for a spot on the practice squad with players such as Cole Wisniewski, Andre’ Sam, and Kapena Gushiken.
Fun fact: Large was a standout basketball player in high school. He set a single-season school record at Roosevelt when he notched 61 steals in 2021.
Quotable: “I’ve always loved his confidence. ‘Coach, just give me the ball,’ or ‘Put me in a position. I’ll make a play for you. They’re not gonna throw it over my head. I hope they throw it my way.’ That kind of thing. When you have that confidence, then I think you’re not afraid to make some plays and gamble a little bit. He’s never had any fear about doing that.” — Roosevelt football coach Kim Nelson on Large, via the Spokesman-Review
