Well, the Philadelphia Eagles only need one more rookie to sign their contract from the 2026 NFL Draft class.
The team announced on their social media page that second-round pick Eli Stowers signed his contract. That now leaves only third-round pick Markel Bell as the only one who has yet to sign.
Philly is well ahead of where they were last year when they were signing their rookie draft class. 2025 second-round pick Andrew Mukuba was the last one to sign, and that wasn't until right before training camp got underway.
Eli Stowers is now under contract, but what about Markel Bell?
Stowers was a coveted draft pick for the Eagles, as he will help with the future at tight end. Dallas Goedert signed a one-year contract in the offseason, but barring anything crazy happening, 2026 appears to be the last year that Goedert is in an Eagles uniform.
Now that they have their tight end locked up in a contract, it all comes down to Bell. Why is it taking so long to get him signed?
It's way too early to hit the panic button, but Bell was most likely waiting to see what Stowers got, so there is a benchmark for what the number has to be. There might be different circumstances if Bell is seen more as the franchise's future, with a shot at being the next right tackle after Lane Johnson.
At this point, Eagles general manager Howie Roseman will most likely do what he can to get this contract with Bell done before minicamp gets underway. Philly already has enough distractions off the field with the A.J. Brown trade pending for the Eagles next month.
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Even if a deal isn't done at minicamp, there's no reason for Eagles fans to worry until training camp, but the likelihood of that happening with a third-round pick seems very unlikely. Expect this to be done soon enough.
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