Eagles Rookie Eli Stowers Faces Inactive Status Amid Camp Struggles

Philadelphia Eagles rookie tight end Eli Stowers faces a potential gameday inactive role for the upcoming 2026 season following an extended period of slow development and a recent hamstring injury during training camp.

Selected in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft out of Vanderbilt, Stowers has struggled to acclimate to professional game speeds as both a receiver and a blocker. Evaluators noted his hesitant blocking style and a lack of explosive plays beyond 10 yards in practice sessions, despite recording a 4.51-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine.

The rookie's progress took another hit when he missed back-to-back practices this week due to a hamstring strain. During preseason action, Stowers recorded three receptions for 12 total yards, all coming against the Baltimore Ravens.

Former NFL offensive lineman LeCharles Bentley, who served as an off-season performance coach for rookie offensive lineman Willie Lampkin, discussed the physical evaluation metrics used by professional teams.

"What is he as a football player?" asked LeCharles Bentley, a two-time Pro Bowl offensive lineman and Lampkin’s performance coach. "Well, he has incredible balance, elite-level strength, extremely explosive, and a very high-level skill ability where you just watch him play the game. So if I just think through and say, ‘Well, what is it that as a football player you need, as an offensive lineman, as a guard, as a center, what do you need?’ All the things that you actually need, he checked those boxes. … He understands how to organize his body from a skill perspective to play the game."

Bentley further addressed how physical attributes compare across professional prospects.

"All the things that you believe about him as a player … all these things that matter," Bentley said. "So the limitation was going to be his height. Got it.

But as a center, as a guard, is that really something that’s going to remove his ability to play football, because if I look at him in comparison to just to, say, a guard at 6-3 or a center that’s 6-3, well, Willie’s gonna test off the charts in comparison to that player’s strength level, that player’s explosion, certainly that player’s balance in his ability to organize his body and express skill. So technically, he’s a better football player. He’s just not 6-3.

So how is that going to limit his ability to play the position and play the game? It doesn’t."

Despite Stowers' statistical absence, team officials expressed patience regarding the overall transition of their 2026 draft class, which saw its first five selections invested in offensive talent.

"He’s getting better each day. He's a younger player we are really excited about... There [are] a lot of different elements of the game that get thrown at you, especially for a rookie tight end.

Some of the differences schematically that NFL offenses will ask of you as opposed to a college offense, he's taken to it really well. Some of the things may go unseen. They might not show up on the stat sheet, but he's working super hard.

He's an exciting young talent... He's doing a nice job, and he'll keep getting better," said Sean Mannion, Eagles offensive coordinator.

Mannion also addressed the mental engagement of first-round wide receiver Makai Lemon, who recently returned to full-team drills following his own hamstring recovery.

"He's been really, really engaged mentally. I think that's the challenge: any player that you're injured, you lose those physical reps, but he's done a really nice job... He's been locked in in all the walkthrough settings.

Even when he can't get the rep, he's kind of shadowing his position on the field and staying super engaged. And he's been working his way back. I know he's looked good, and hopefully we'll see him out here in a minute," Mannion said.

Meanwhile, defensive line depth remains a focus as pass rusher Nolan Smith returns to full activity after recovering from a triceps injury sustained in Super Bowl LIX that limited him to 12 games last year.

"I had a full year to re-heal," Smith said on Tuesday. "And I’m ready to go."

Smith's availability carries extra weight as defensive end Jonathan Greenard remains on the Active/PUP list with a pectoral injury sustained prior to camp. Off the field, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro provided an update regarding the franchise's stadium lease at Lincoln Financial Field, which runs through 2032.

"I appreciate the way [team president] Don [Smolenski] and Jeffrey and the entire franchise are thinking really critically about what they want for the future of a home for the Philadelphia Eagles," Shapiro said Tuesday. "Here’s what I can tell you for sure: It’s going to be in the city of Philadelphia, and we’ll work with the Eagles once they determine what it is they’re interested in doing, but I appreciate the thoughtful and deliberate approach that they’ve taken to this process."

The Eagles continue their preseason schedule as coaching staff evaluate final roster spots prior to regular season cutdowns.