It may be time to start hitting the panic button for Philadelphia Eagles’ rookie tight end, Eli Stowers.
As the team’s second-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the former Vanderbilt Commodore standout was viewed as one of the top tight ends in the recent draft class. But unfortunately for Stowers, his performance throughout training camp and the preseason has called the selection into question heading into the 2026-27 NFL regular season.
Should Eagles fans begin to worry about Stowers? Or are his preseason woes just part of being a rookie? Let’s take a deep dive into Stowers’ offseason.
Stowers’ Preseason Struggles
One of Stowers’ biggest knocks coming out of college was his struggles as a pass blocker. The highly-touted weapon finished with a 51.2 PFF run-blocking grade, along with a 71.5 PFF pass-blocking grade.
During his last season with the Commodores, Stowers spent 55 percent of his snaps in the slot, compared to spending 35 percent of his snaps as an inline tight end. This is a major concern for the young playmaker due to the Eagles’ usage of veteran Dallas Goedert in 2025.
Goedert played 53 percent of his snaps last year inline, with 33 of his snaps occurring in the slot. And with the addition of 2026 first-round pick Makai Lemon (who spent 60 percent of his college snaps in the slot), it’s clear that the offense will need its future starting tight end to be a traditional Y tight end.
Newly-hired offensive coordinator Sean Mannion may change up the snap count for Goedert in 2026, but the issue remains the same — Stowers needs time to develop as a Y tight end if he truly wants to have an impact in the NFL.
In his first two preseason games with the Eagles, Stowers’ struggles as a blocker were put on full display. He ended his preseason campaign with a PFF run-blocking grade of 57.1 on 15 snaps.
There is no question as to whether or not Stowers can be an offensive weapon for the Eagles. However, due to his limitations, he will likely end up as the “H” tight end instead of a traditional inline role in 2026.
