Towards the end of training camp, Philadelphia Eagles rookie tight end Eli Stowers suffered a hamstring injury that kept him out, but he appears to be doing better now.
Stowers suited up on the field and practiced with the Eagles in their first workout before their Week 1 game against the Washington Commanders. In the official Eagles injury report, he was listed as limited in practice.
While Eagles fans are happy to see Stowers on the field, there is an important topic to discuss with him. There is reason to believe that it's okay for the Eagles to make him inactive for this opening-weekend game for multiple reasons.
Eagles really shouldn't let Eli Stowers play in Week 1 against Commanders
The one thing the Eagles did that threw everyone off was to include four tight ends on their final 53-man roster. Adding E.J. Jenkins to the room with Dallas Goedert, Johnny Mundt, and Stowers was a major surprise to everyone, but it might work out well for them.
With Stowers not 100% healthy, this is a good excuse for them to rest the rookie and move Jenkins up on the depth chart. This will let Stowers heal properly and be ready for the rest of the season.
Also, Stowers isn't playing well to start his rookie season. He has three receptions for 12 yards on five targets in two preseason games. Stowers also struggled in training camp with blocking and consistently catching the football.
A lot has been said about Stowers not being ready to be a full-time starter in the NFL anyway. This is a chance for the Eagles to hit pause and ease the former second-round pick into the flow of the regular season.
Philly has plenty of solid veteran weapons at tight end to hold it down to start the season. There's no point in forcing Stowers out there if he's not 100%, and letting him fail when he is already not ready to play in a game.
If the Eagles are smart, they'd let Stowers sit out Week 1 and go from there. He's got plenty of time this season to get reps, so they shouldn't make a shaky situation worse than it already is.
Read more: Commanders expert warns Eagles about 'element of surprise' for Week 1
Eagles fans will have to see what the team decides in the next few days, but they need to do what's best for setting up their rookie for success. Let Stowers take a seat on the bench and watch the Commanders game in Week 1.
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