Eagles ‘excited about the trajectory’ of struggling rookie playmaker

PHILADELPHIA — It was a difficult summer for Eagles rookie Eli Stowers. The second-round tight end does not look ready to contribute and is closer to being a gameday inactive than an impact player when the season kicks off next Sunday.

That’s the reality of the situation.

Stowers missed the final few practices and the preseason finale due to a hamstring injury. Before that, the No. 54 overall pick struggled all summer. Stowers, who was viewed as Dallas Goedert’s eventual successor, has a long way to go.

And yet, it’s far too early to give up on Stowers. The Eagles’ front office and coaching staff understand that better than anyone.

Over the last two days, general manager Howie Roseman and tight ends coach Ryan Mahafffey expressed optimism about Stowers’ long-term potential.

Asked about Stowers and struggling first-round receiver Makai Lemon, Roseman said on Monday that he doesn’t have “any doubt about what they’re going to be in the NFL over time.” Roseman added that he still believes both will contribute in 2026.

Mahaffey echoed that sentiment in regards to Stowers on Tuesday.

“I’m really excited about Eli’s development. We knew coming in he was highly intelligent, has very good football character, good athlete who had transitioned from a different position and is now playing tight end,” Mahaffey said. “For any rookie as you’re coming into the NFL, it’s an adjustment. ... I’m excited about the trajectory that he’s on.”

The key words in those two quotes? “Over time” and “trajectory.”

Neither Roseman nor Mahaffey came out and said Stowers is going to be a star in Week 1, because that’s not realistic. It was never realistic.

Would the Eagles have liked to see more production, more flash plays out of Stowers this summer? Sure. Fans certainly would have liked to see more. In two preseason games, Stowers had three catches for 12 yards on 39 snaps.

At no point did we see Stowers’ freakish athleticism — the athleticism that took the NFL Combine by storm — on display. Rarely did we see the matchup nightmare who won the 2025 Mackey Award, given to college football’s top tight end.

What we saw throughout August was a rookie dealing with the self-described “mental challenges” of acclimating to the NFL level while learning a new-ish position.

Stowers starring for Vanderbilt and dominating the SEC the past two years might have set unreasonably high expectations for himself in Year 1. Many forget that Stowers was a quarterback just a few years ago. He didn’t switch to tight end until 2023, when he transferred to New Mexico State before moving to Vanderbilt in 2024.

Blocking was always a concern when Stowers was a prospect. But now he has to learn how to operate (and ideally, one day thrive) in Sean Mannion’s offense — a scheme that requires a well-rounded skill set from its tight ends.

There’s a reason why the Eagles kept four tight ends on their initial 53-man roster. There’s a reason why signing 35-year-old free agent Zach Ertz is on the table.

Stowers isn’t ready to meet the demands of the Eagles’ offense right now. But that doesn’t mean he won’t when afforded the time to develop.

“I think Eli, athletically and from a character standpoint, has the ability to do the things that we’re going to ask him to do,” the tight ends coach said. “Most importantly, I know he’s going to work consistently, each and every single day, to make himself the best player he can be to be the type of teammate that he needs to be.”

“Growth is not going to be linear,” Mahaffey added, speaking generally about rookies.

And with Stowers specifically, it certainly won’t.

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