Eagles rookie Eli Stowers is back on the practice field, and that alone is a welcome sight after a summer that never really got rolling.
Stowers, the second-round tight end who was slowed by a hamstring injury at the end of training camp, returned Wednesday to practice at the Jefferson Health Training Complex. How much he did in the session - and whether that turns into any kind of role in Sunday’s season opener - still has to be sorted out.
The injury cost Stowers the final few practices and the preseason finale, which only added to a rough introduction to the NFL. The No. 54 overall pick out of Vanderbilt never really found traction in camp, rarely working with the first-team offense and not quite showing off the athletic traits that pushed Philadelphia to take him that early.
Stowers has been candid about how steep the adjustment has been. The former quarterback, who has only played tight end for a few years, called the transition a “challenge” last month.
“The biggest adjustment, I’d say, has probably been the mental challenge,” Stowers said on Aug. 5. “The offense and the way the defenses do their schemes at this level, it’s a little more complex than it was in college.”
That’s a sharp contrast from the player he was at Vanderbilt. Last year, Stowers won the Mackey Award after putting up 769 yards on 62 catches.
But by the time camp wrapped, he looked like a long shot to make much of an impact in 2026. In his last meaningful preseason action, he was held without a catch on two targets against the Patriots.
For now, Dallas Goedert is set to start Sunday, with blocking specialist Johnny Mundt expected to handle the TE2 role. Still, Stowers’ return opens the door a crack. If he’s healthy, maybe Week 1 against the Commanders gives Eagles fans their first real glimpse of what the rookie tight end can become.
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Washingtons side of the report was just as watchful, with no absences from practice among its 53-man roster but multiple players on injured reserve and limited work for Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Odafe Oweh and KLavon Chaisson. For Philadelphia, the broader picture is less about one practice than about how both teams manage their health across the week, especially with Week 1 already carrying the usual mix of uncertainty and urgency. [Read more 🡒]