Why Eli Stowers Doesn't Shy Away From Poor Start To Eagles Camp

The 54th overall pick in April's draft is running behind the starters in 12 personnel looks -- Dallas Goedert and Johnny Mundt -- and has had trouble distancing himself from some of the other tight ends in camp.

May 1, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles tight end Eli Stowers (87) runs drills during rookie minicamp at NovaCare Complex. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

PHILADELPHIA - Eli Stowers is not shying away from his slow start at Eagles training camp.

The 54th overall pick in April's draft is running behind the starters in 12 personnel looks -- Dallas Goedert and Johnny Mundt -- and has had trouble distancing himself from some of the other tight ends in camp like veteran Grant Calcaterra, E.J. Jenkins, and hybrid TE/fullback Cam Latu despite enormous athletic gifts that wowed at the NFL Combine.

Stowers leaned on the mental aspect of the move from Vanderbilt and the SEC to the pro ranks as the biggest hurdle to date.

“Biggest adjustment, I’d say, is probably the mental challenge,” Stowers told reporters following Wednesday’s practice. “I think that the offense and the way that the defenses do their schemes at this level,
it’s a little more complex than it was in college. And so I think it’s a mental challenge, but that’s just about putting the time in and learning it and trying to get better with it.”

It's far too early to judge any rookie but the Eagles' recent history of immediate impact from premium picks has raised expectations. First-round receiver Makai Lemon is going throw similar issues while trying to quickly onboard to the NFL, something hampered even further by persistent hamstring issues.

Coaches tend to optimistic by nature and Nick Sirianni had a glass-is-half-full approach with Stowers.

“I think Eli has a really good feel for the zone of where to sit in zones and how to get open versus different types of zone coverage,” Sirianni said earlier this week “We know that his athletic ability will [help him] shake free on third down when it is man coverage because he’s quick, he’s fast, he’s explosive. But what I’ve been impressed with him is just his ability to kind of read defenses and find the areas of the zone where he needs to sit and be at the right spot at the right time.”

Stowers noted his QB background contributed to that feel. 

"I would say it probably has something to do with that. Yeah, I think that's just the way that I've grown to see the game my whole life," Stowers said. "And I think it does help me in that way. And then trying to intertwine that with learning the game from the tight end perspective. This is what I'm trying to do right now."

Patience For A Project?

Eli Stowers runs through a drill during OTAs | John McMullen/Eagles On SI

The real end game for Stowers is replacing Goedert, whether that's 2027 or beyond.

In the short-term, Mundt will remain more valuable because of his blocking ability so the ceiling for Stowers coming in was TE3 this season and his pedigree will assure that spot. From there, the onus will be on OC Sean Mannion to develop some packages that can highlight Stowers' athleticism.

"I'm just out here trying to continuously learn every single day and I'm really appreciative of my coaches so far just trying to help me out," said Stowers. "Kind of get me going at this level. And I'm super excited for what's going to come. One of the ways you guys learn is off the field."

For now, the progess has been slow but no one is making declarative judgemnets based on six practices.

“At the end of the day, this is a game where there’s going to be ups and downs and you’ve just got to learn how to bounce back from adversity,” Stowers said. “No one who has ever played this game has ever been perfect. And the ones who are great are the ones that can bounce back from the adversity and go make the next play.”