Odd Birds Out: Who Will Be Inactive for the Eagles?
The Philadelphia Eagles have finally trimmed the 91-man roster down to a 53-man roster. Yet the difficult decisions won’t stop there, as each NFL team is only allowed to have 48 players active on game day. Well technically, each NFL team is allowed to have 49 players active on game day, including an emergency third quarterback that can only play if the first two quarterbacks are forced to leave the game.
Eagles general manager Howie Roseman made a few interesting decisions with Philadelphia’s initial 53-man roster, including keeping four quarterbacks. It’ll be interesting to see how the Eagles will navigate the game day inactives, assuming that everyone is ready to play by Week 1. Here’s a look at the five players that could be the odd birds out in Philadelphia.
Andy Dalton (emergency third QB)
It seems like Eagles fourth-year quarterback Tanner McKee slightly outplayed Andy Dalton this summer. While Dalton brings more experience to the table, my guess is that Philadelphia will opt to have McKee as the team’s primary backup quarterback on game day. If Dalton isn’t traded by Week 1, he’ll likely serve as the team’s emergency third quarterback on game day. Despite an underwhelming performance in the summer, the 38-year-old veteran provides a high enough floor to warrant filling that role in 2026.
Cole Payton
If the Eagles are going to roll with four quarterbacks on the 53-man roster, Payton will be the odd man out in the room on game day. While Philadelphia toyed with Payton playing on special teams in the preseason, it just doesn’t make sense for him to be active right now. Despite the flashes that he showed in limited action during the preseason, Payton is still a while away from being a reliable quarterback in the NFL. If the Eagles trade one of McKee or Dalton, then he’ll fill-in as the emergency third quarterback.
Eli Stowers
Now this will be a tough decision for some Eagles fans to come to terms with. Despite being one of the biggest defenders of Stowers during his slow start, I believe that the 23-year-old tight end will be inactive to start the regular season, especially if he’s still dealing with a hamstring injury. E.J. Jenkins is a better blocker than Stowers and can also contribute on special teams, an area where Stowers isn’t exactly comfortable contributing in just yet. Once Stowers is fully healthy, he will likely be active but everyone needs to be patient with him.
Micah Morris
The Eagles selected Morris in the sixth round of the 2026 NFL Draft as a long-term bet. Morris possesses the “unusual” traits that Roseman often talks about and he’ll be allowed to develop during his rookie season. I’d be shocked if Morris was active at all during this upcoming season, barring an injury. The Eagles likely didn’t want to expose Morris to waivers, as you can see that both Cameron Williams and Myles Hinton were claimed by other teams. Given the uncertain futures of Landon Dickerson and Tyler Steen, Morris may push for a game day spot in 2027.
Mac McWilliams
McWilliams played only 28 total defensive snaps during his rookie season in Philadelphia, according to Pro Football Focus. The 24-year-old cornerback is likely sixth on Philadelphia’s depth chart and it’s hard to envision that he’ll be active on game day. I’d give Kelee Ringo the slight edge due to his contributions as a gunner on special teams. McWilliams was often inactive during his rookie season and I expect that to continue following the additions of Riq Woolen and Jonathan Jones this offseason.