Expectations for Philadelphia Eagles rookie tight end Eli Stowers were lowered at the start of the season when he went on IR with a quad injury. Now, there may be hope that Stowers could become a stud sooner than anyone thought.
Stowers was selected in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft as a potential successor to Dallas Goedert at tight end. Minicamp and training camp quickly showed that Stowers is a work in progress and needs time to adjust to life in the NFL.
Over the last two weeks, the Eagles fan base has gotten a small taste of what to expect from Stowers. In their Week 8 27-10 loss to the Washington Commanders, Stowers showed some good stuff and got everyone a little excited for what might be coming soon.
Eli Stowers showed really good promise for the Eagles in Week 8
In the Eagles' 38-21 loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 7, Stowers saw limited action. He only got one target, which came at the very end of the game.
In the Commanders game, though, things were a bit different. Stowers got 13 snaps on offense and was targeted three times. He caught all three for 53 yards, the second-most on the team.
Stowers' highlight play of the game came with under a minute to go, and the Eagles were padding their stats. To Stowers' credit, he caught a pass for 34 yards, but three defenders tried to take him down, and he fought to gain several yards.
Granted, the Commanders were already done and had accepted their defeat, but that kind of effort from Stowers speaks volumes. That's a rookie who doesn't care how far down his team is. He's still going to make a play out there and make a name for himself.
Eagles might be on the verge of seeing Eli Stowers' full potential
Stowers has all the athletic talent to be a great tight end in the NFL. This is a guy who ran a 4.51-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, which was the second-fastest time among tight ends in the class.
There is an adjustment period for the rookie that has made it tougher on Eagles fans to be patientfor, which. The hope was that he could jump right in and be the second tight end to Goedert on passing downs.
With about a week to go until the trade deadline, the Eagles could be in the market to make a few moves. Goedert has been the subject of a lot of trade talk because he is on a one-year deal, and the Eagles being 2-6 doesn't help.
If Goedert is dealt, that could open the door for Stowers to get more playing time for the Eagles. He's already showing that his hands are looking good, so Stowers needs to keep developing and look in the right direction, as he is now.
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Philly's season already looks lost, so they might as well throw Stowers out there and let him get these valuable reps. More playing time will only improve him and keep him ready for a pivotal 2027 season in his career and the franchise's history.
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