Cole Payton

No. 18 · Rookie

Fourth-string rookie finds the field when it matters.

Cole Payton is a rookie quarterback buried on the depth chart. The Eagles' backup quarterbacks took the field in the preseason opener's early going and could not move the ball. Then, in the fourth quarter, the Eagles gave Payton his turn.

He did what the backups had not. He moved the offense. It was one quarter in a meaningless preseason game, the kind of moment that disappears by Monday morning for most players. For a fourth-stringer, it is the only stage that exists right now. A moment like that -- when the offense suddenly clicks because you are in it -- is how a kid stays on the roster. It is how a kid becomes a story someone remembers.

Content sourced from publicly available information. Gripd is an independent fan platform not affiliated with the NFL or any team.

Cole Payton

Fourth-string rookie finds the field when it matters.

Undrafted rookie steps in, gets a real chance to prove it.

After months waiting, Allen finds his next home.

A first-round name gets a second wind in Chicago.