The Philadelphia Eagles changed their quarterback setup again for Sunday Night Football in Week 8, making Cole Payton active against the Washington Commanders and keeping him out of the emergency third-quarterback spot. That move leaves the 6-foot-3, 232-pound rookie available for something more flexible than the usual break-glass backup role.
Jeff McLane wrote that Payton was active and could be used on special teams or even on offense, while Anthony DiBona said there was no emergency QB3, which would let the Eagles use him however they needed to. Zach Berman also noted that Payton was active over Jake Majors, a small roster choice that matters because it changes how one game-day spot can be used.
The search around the Eagles roster makes sense because this is not the first quarterback shuffle of the week. Tim McManus wrote on Monday that Joe Milton had been promoted and would back up Tanner McKee, and Joseph Hoyt later reported that Milton, not Payton, was the backup behind McKee against the Cowboys. McKee is starting his third consecutive game after Jalen Hurts was ruled out for the season when blood clots were discovered in his lungs, so every quarterback decision now carries extra weight.
Payton brings a profile that helps explain why the Eagles are testing something unusual. Brooks Kubena described him as a southpaw with Taysom Hill comps and said the team would spend training camp looking for a future role for him. He is also a former North Dakota State quarterback who won two FCS national championships as a backup, and his 2025 season included 3,496 yards of total offense and 29 touchdowns while leading North Dakota State to a 12-1 record.
The wrinkle is that the Eagles had already used Payton in a different way earlier in the week, then shifted again before kickoff. He was listed as the emergency third quarterback after the Week 7 loss to the Cowboys, but against the Commanders he was active instead of occupying that protected spot, which opens the door for a special-teams package or an offensive wrinkle if the Eagles choose to use it. With the Eagles at 2-5 after five straight losses and the Commanders at 1-4-1 coming off a bye week, the next question is not whether Payton is dressed; it is whether the Eagles actually turn that flexibility into snaps.
