The Eagles have plenty of familiar names back in the fold for 2026, but one of the most intriguing players on their roster is a rookie who still feels like a work in progress. Eli Stowers is already being treated like a future piece at tight end, and the Eagles are clearly hoping he starts showing why before long.
Stowers arrived in Philadelphia as the No. 54 overall pick out of Vanderbilt, and the team spent that kind of draft capital with a plan in mind: eventually replacing Dallas Goedert. Goedert is back for his ninth season, so nobody is asking Stowers to take over right away. But the Eagles want signs in 2026 that the long-term vision is real.
That’s a big ask for a player with a winding college path. Stowers began at Texas A&M as a quarterback, then changed positions after an injury.
He transferred to New Mexico, then broke through at Vanderbilt and finished last season with the kind of production that turned heads: 62 catches, 769 yards and four touchdowns. He also won the Mackey Award, which goes to college football’s top tight end.
His tape and combine testing only added to the buzz. Some people in the draft world even drew a line to Eagles legend Zach Ertz. That’s the ceiling Philadelphia is chasing, even if the road there won’t be instant.
There are still real development points ahead. Stowers needs work as a blocker, and at 6-foot-3 and 235 pounds, he’s lighter than the standard NFL tight end build. He also had a quiet spring, failing to stand out in the first three practices open to the media and then missing the final day of mandatory minicamp because of an apparent leg injury.
The Eagles aren’t leaning on him yet. Goedert is back on a one-year deal after a career year, and veteran Johnny Mundt was added as a blocking tight end.
Still, there’s a lane for Stowers to get on the field because the Eagles are expected to use more 12 personnel under new OC Sean Mannion. That should give the rookie chances as a pass-catcher.
And Philadelphia believes the upside is worth the patience.
“He has this ability to change direction and to accelerate and to catch the ball consistently. That’s unusual for that position,” head coach Nick Sirianni said.
“He’s fast. He’s quick.
He can catch the ball well. And he’s still growing and learning in the position because there’s still some newness to him playing that position.”
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