Eagles' fifth-round quarterback Cole Payton brings a dual-threat twist to the depth chart

As the Eagles approach training camp, with the full team due to report on July 28, a closer look at the more than three dozen newcomers highlights two players from the Dakotas college ranks: quarterback Cole Payton and safety Tucker Large.

Payton, 23, was the Eagles' fifth-round pick this year after five seasons at North Dakota State. He started 13 games in 2025, his only season as the Bison's full-time starter, completing 161 passes for 2,719 yards and 16 touchdowns. His passer rating of 193.8 and his 12.1 yards per attempt are both single-season school records.

At 6-foot-3 and 232 pounds, Payton is also a threat on the ground. Across his five seasons in Fargo he ran 287 times for 1,918 yards and 31 touchdowns. In his redshirt senior year he set school single-season marks for total offense per game (268.9 yards) and yards per play (9.71). A native of Omaha, Neb., he was the 2020-21 Nebraska Gatorade Player of the Year at Westside High School, where he threw for 1,704 yards and 22 touchdowns and rushed for 1,029 yards and 17 scores.

Because he was drafted at the sport's most important position, it appears unlikely the Eagles would try to slip Payton onto the practice squad through waivers. The team could trade Tanner McKee before the cutdown deadline, or it could keep four quarterbacks, including Andy Dalton, rather than its usual three. Barring a disastrous camp and preseason, Payton is expected to make the initial 53-man roster. He will not be Jalen Hurts' primary backup this season, but he could compete for that job later. He might also get a gadget role in the mold of Taysom Hill; coach Nick Sirianni said after the draft, "we'll see how that goes" once Payton learns the playbook.

Payton's career has had unusual turns. His first start at North Dakota State, the 2024 home opener against Tennessee State, came at running back, where he had three carries for 6 yards and two catches for 5 yards, while also completing three passes for 29 yards and a touchdown. He is also left-handed, a rarity in the NFL. Atlanta's Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. and Cleveland's Dillon Gabriel are among the few active left-handed quarterbacks. Sirianni praised him as "really, really athletic" and noted his 72% completion rate last season, adding that he charted four plays on which Payton jumped over a defender.

Large, 23, faces longer odds. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound safety joined South Dakota State in 2021 as a preferred walk-on, with most of his offers coming from Division II programs. He took up football relatively late at Roosevelt High School in Sioux Falls, S.D. In 2023 he led the FCS national championship team with nine pass breakups and ranked second with four interceptions, one returned for a touchdown. He also set a school record with 149 punt-return yards on four attempts against Drake.

Large followed coach Jimmy Rogers to Washington State for 2025, starting all 13 games and recording 71 tackles, three for losses, and eight pass breakups. He appeared to hurt his right knee in the Idaho Potato Bowl win over Utah State in late December. He signed with the Eagles as an undrafted free agent but was waived with an injury designation in May and placed on the Reserve/Non-Football Injury list.

His most realistic path is a practice-squad spot as safety depth, and his return experience could help. Given the injury and his lack of practice time with the team, the odds are steep. If cleared for camp, he could compete with players such as Cole Wisniewski, Andre' Sam and Kapena Gushiken. Roosevelt coach Kim Nelson, speaking to the Spokesman-Review, recalled Large's confidence, saying he would ask to be put in position and promise to make a play. Large also starred in basketball in high school, setting a Roosevelt single-season record with 61 steals in 2021.