On offense, the Philadelphia Eagles have a lot of question marks heading into Week 5 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Since Week 2, the tight end position’s depth has been hurting. Before the season kicked off, the rookie Eli Stowers was placed on the injured reserve list.
Then, the starter Dallas Goedert suffered a knee injury, which forced him to miss the next two games–and potentially a third this Sunday.
In the meantime, the Eagles added the veteran Zach Ertz to the roster. It was a move that was discussed since August, as Stowers struggled to stand out and stay healthy in training camp.
After missing the first four games of the season, Stowers is technically eligible to return to action. However, the Eagles aren’t making that move at this time, as Brandon Lee Gowton of Bleeding Green Nation points out.
“Lost in the shuffle of a busy week: The Eagles did not open Eli Stowers’ 21-day practice window to return from IR despite now being eligible to do so after missing 4 games,” the insider said on X. “Stowers was ruled questionable to play in Week 1, and he said he was going to suit up.”
The Eagles Shouldn’t Stash Stowers
There might be an assumption that Stowers is landing some kind of redshirt season with the Eagles. However, that wouldn’t be the right decision.
The Eagles might not look like the Super Bowl contenders they hoped to look like through four games, but the team clearly has a willingness to give younger players an opportunity to get on the field and gain early experience.
This next stretch of games will be critical for the linemen Willie Lampkin, Drew Kendall, and Markel Bell.
If and when Stowers gets healthy in the near future, the Eagles should strongly consider finding him ways to get valuable reps behind Goedert.