The Philadelphia Eagles kept four quarterbacks on their initial 53-man roster, and I’m sitting here on Monday morning genuinely confused. Jalen Hurts, Andy Dalton, Tanner McKee, and Cole Payton all survived cutdown weekend, making the Eagles one of only four teams in the NFL to carry that many signal-callers alongside the Atlanta Falcons, Minnesota Vikings, and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Philadelphia sits 23rd in the waiver wire order, meaning 22 teams get to pick through every player the Eagles let go before Howie Roseman gets a crack at bringing anyone back. That’s a lot of teams, and it makes several of these roster decisions feel even riskier than they already do.

Look, the roster went mostly as expected. The three running backs, six wide receivers, the offensive linemen, the defensive linemen. A lot of it makes sense. But there are a couple decisions where you’re scratching your head, and the quarterback situation is by far the biggest.

The 4-quarterback problem

Why did they do this? Why keep Andy Dalton? Why keep Cole Payton? I understand the case for depth, and Tanner McKee looked shaky at times during the preseason. The hope is none of those guys ever have to suit up this season. But I feel strongly that the Eagles could have kept another player at a position of actual need and then gone out and signed a backup quarterback who got waived elsewhere if they needed one.

The only conclusion I can come to is that Howie plans to trade one of them for a late-round draft pick, and that’s why all four are still on the roster. Because the Eagles waived Carson Steele, they waived Joshua Weru, they waived Uar Bernard. Those are players with legitimate upside who did not make the team. Maybe Roseman knows they’ll wind up back on the practice squad, but there’s no guarantee. None whatsoever. Not with 22 teams picking through waivers ahead of you.

The backup quarterback was the biggest question all training camp and entering the weekend, and the Eagles kept all four. The hope is that none of them have to play in 2026. There were some mixed results in training camp, but there’s plenty of hope the Eagles’ offense will improve.

I just don’t get why you kept them. Not all four. Not at the expense of other roster spots.

Carson Steele and the tight end surprise

The player I really wanted to see make this roster was Carson Steele. What he showed in the preseason catching out of the backfield, as a lead blocker, I thought he earned a spot. I figured he had a real shot to make the team over Cam Latu. But the funny part is that Latu didn’t make the team either. The Eagles kept E.J. Jenkins as the fourth tight end, kept Eli Stowers, and put Grant Calcaterra on IR. JaKorian Bennett also landed on IR, and I haven’t heard a thing about what his injury even is.

Ty Robinson earned a roster spot, and I thought he deserved it after how he played in the preseason. Chance Campbell seemed like he might sneak on as that last linebacker, but he ended up being the final cut.

What’s next for Howie Roseman

I’m glad the Eagles kept six receivers. Elijah Moore had a solid camp, and with the uncertainty surrounding Makai Lemon due to injury, you need more depth there, not less. But Carson Steele and the backup quarterback logjam are very head-scratching to me, and I hope Steele doesn’t get claimed by another team before the Eagles can bring him back.

Howie Roseman has made a trade in August in all but once or twice over the last 12 years, and we’re sitting here on the final day of August with nothing. So maybe he makes a move on Monday. Maybe he’s got something up his sleeve. Knowing Howie, I wouldn’t bet against it.