One of the prevailing storylines throughout training camp and the preseason has been the struggles of Philadelphia Eagles rookie tight end Eli Stowers.
With the latest news on Stowers — just 1 day before the regular-season opener against the Washington Commanders — that talk isn’t going anywhere.
“The Eagles downgraded rookie TE Eli Stowers (hamstring) to out,” NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo wrote on his official X account on Saturday. “He’d been listed as questionable. He was also placed on IR so he’s out the first four weeks. Stowers was telling reporters yesterday he was confident he’d play to being placed on IR with a quad injury added to the previously listed hamstring. The Eagles’ second-rounder’s debut will have to wait a bit.”
“The Eagles have placed rookie TE Eli Stowers on injured reserve with quadriceps and hamstring injuries,” The Athletic’s Brooks Kubena wrote on his official X account on Staurday. “The second-round rookie will miss at least four games.”
Eli Stowers Struggled With ‘Mental’ Challenge of NFL
The Eagles used their 1st 2 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft on pass catchers, with USC wide receiver Makai Lemon in the 1st round (No. 23 overall) and Vanderbilt tight end and Mackey Award winner Stowers in the 2nd round (No. 54 overall).
Through their 1st training camps and preseasons, both have been unqualified disappointments. Lemon was hurt and missed most of training camp and 2 of 3 preseason games.
Stowers has seemed objectively lost in picking up the offense and admitted as much to The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Ryan Novozinsky.
“Biggest adjustment, I’d say, is probably the mental challenge,” Stowers told Novozinsky. “I think that the offense and the way the defenses do their schemes at this level, it’s a little more complex than it was in college. And so I think it’s a mental challenge, but that’s just about putting the time in and learning it and trying to get better with it.”
Stowers has become a hot topic in training camp over his inability to stand out in any way — not what the Eagles were hoping for in a player many thought could contribute right away and is being counted on to replace aging starter Dallas Goedert 1 day.
Eagles Ignored Injury Concerns With Eli Stowers
The Eagles have taken the last decade-plus to teach other teams how to find elite tight ends outside of the 1st round, doing so 1st with Zach Ertz in the 3rd round in 2023, then again with Dallas Goedert in the 2nd round in 2018.
They may have overlooked injury concerns with Stowers in trying to find the next 1 in line.
“Second-round tight end Eli Stowers (Vanderbilt) was widely considered TE2, but multiple teams viewed him as a big wideout, similar to Michael Pittman Jr.,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote on Thursday. “That will give Philly flexibility in how it uses him. A few teams had knee concerns with Stowers due to a past injury, but by all indications the Eagles did not, and the issue is considered minor (he was durable throughout college).”
That makes what he did at the NFL Scouting Combine in February all the more incredible. That’s where he wowed scouts with a 4.51-second 40-yard dash and a 45.5-inch vertical leap — 1 of the highest verticals registered in combine history.
Eagles Place Talented Rookie TE on Injured Reserve