September 12, 2026
Philadelphia Eagles rookie tight end Eli Stowers is headed to injured reserve. Stowers appeared on the injury report this week with a hamstring injury, and was listed as questionable.
Stowers was a high school quarterback who moved to tight end in college. He put on a show at the NFL Combine, where he broke records for his vertical leap (45 1/2") and broad jump (135"). He also ran a 4.51 40. He is undersized at 6'4, 239, but he is an elite athlete.
In college, Vanderbilt lined up Stowers all over the place, trying to create mismatches against slower linebackers and smaller defensive backs. Once he had the ball in his hands, he got yards after the catch using his speed, or by dragging DBs.
So that was the appeal: Elite athlete, high ceiling, some receiving chops.
The downside on Stowers as a prospect was that he was probably more of a big receiver coming out of college, and that he would need to become a much better blocker to become a more well-rounded NFL tight end.
Unfortunately, throughout training camp Stowers didn't show much to get excited about as a receiver or as a blocker. He did not exhibit the explosive traits that are in his body, he sometimes looked tentative as a blocker, and he simply didn't made catches further than, like, 10 yards down the field. The guess here is that Stowers was swimming mentally, trying to learn an offense while acclimating to the speed of the NFL. He's thinking, and not just playing. The hope is that in time he will catch up mentally and begin playing fast.
Stowers was highly likely to be a gameday inactive, even if healthy. He'll miss at least the first four games of the season.
It'll be interesting to see if the Eagles sign Zach Ertz after Week 1.
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