BALTIMORE – In his first taste of NFL game action on Saturday night against the Ravens, Cole Payton thrived while off-script.

Facing a fourth-and-3 with only four minutes remaining in the game, the Ravens blitzed the rookie quarterback, collapsing the pocket immediately. Running backwards, Payton evaded a potential sack from Ravens linebacker Reid Williford and took off down the field for a 17-yard gain before running out of bounds.

"I think those plays are huge and I think it sparks the guys a little bit," Payton said of the fourth-down conversion. "That's just my game, using my legs and making stuff happen, whether it's running or throwing it when it becomes off-schedule."

A few plays later, Payton and the Eagles' offense found themselves in the red zone for the first time all game. Again, Payton had to go off-script.

After being forced out of the pocket on a second-and-goal from 6 yards out, Payton rolled right. The left-handed quarterback managed to keep his eyes downfield and see a wide-open Erik Ezukanma in the back corner of the end zone, completing the pass for the lone Eagles touchdown of the game.

"I was gassed there at the end but found Erik in the back of the end zone and he made a great play in the scramble drill," Payton said. "It was off-schedule. Just didn't like the first couple of leads, and so I had to get out of the pocket.

"That just goes back to all of our fundamentals, our training, working the scramble drill, working before practice, after practice, all those things. That's where the trust is built."

Just like that, the 2026 fifth-round draft pick scored the first touchdown of the preseason for the Eagles – as well as the first of his career.

"Cole's a good player," rookie tight end Eli Stowers said after the game. "He had a really good career at North Dakota State. I think he put that on display, what he can actually do. Cole's my boy, I love him to death. I was super excited to see him perform today and perform well, have that drive and go score. It was awesome. He's going to continue to do that. I know he is."

Payton led the Eagles in rushing yards in his limited reps, scrambling three times for 45 yards. His ability on the ground shouldn't be surprising. In his final season with North Dakota State, the Bison quarterback rushed for 777 yards and 13 touchdowns. Now, it's all about adjusting to the speed of NFL defenders.

"Overall, they're a lot bigger, stronger, faster (than college)," Payton said. "I got a little taste of that, obviously, throughout Training Camp and in the camp in the spring. But I got a little taste of that at the Senior Bowl back in January."

"Football's such a cool sport," Payton added. "It feels good to get hit again." – Written by Caroline Connor