Eagles’ tight end Jack Stoll gets high marks from Nick Sirianni | Early Birds

Good morning, Eagles fans. Happy Friday! This is the final edition of the newsletter before the Eagles travel to Arlington, Texas, to take on the Dallas Cowboys in prime time Monday night. Excited?

Because of the extra day, the Eagles pushed back their practice schedule, so Friday will look more like a Thursday and the team will practice on Saturday as well. Nick Sirianni will address reporters on Saturday before practice, so be sure to keep an eye out for that while you’re watching college football.

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— EJ Smith (earlybirds@inquirer.com)

If you’ve noticed No. 89 playing a handful of snaps each week and aren’t sure who it is, you’d be forgiven.

Jack Stoll, an undrafted free agent out of Nebraska who made the active roster coming out of training camp, has established himself as the Eagles’ third tight end early in the season. That could change when Tyree Jackson comes off of injured reserve later this season, but for the time being, Stoll has proven his worth mainly as a blocker when the Eagles run heavy formations.

During his Thursday news conference, Eagles coach Nick Sirianni praised Stoll’s toughness.

“He’s gritty and tough,” Sirianni said. “And we love that on this team. We love those guys that are gritty and tough and they just do what they have to do to get their job done. That’s what I’ve felt out of him so far.”

Going into Monday night’s prime-time game against the Dallas Cowboys, Stoll could see a one-week promotion to TE2 depending on Zach Ertz’s status. The veteran tight end was placed on the COVID-19/Reserve list on Monday.

If he recovers quickly enough, Ertz will be eligible to return for the game because he’s vaccinated. Still, he wouldn’t have practiced all week, meaning Stoll could have expanded responsibilities as a receiver.

Sirianni said Stoll’s more than capable as a receiver, even though he hasn’t been targeted through the team’s first two games.

“I think with Zach and with Dallas [Goedert] you’re, like, ‘Oh, Jack’s just a blocker,’ ” Sirianni said. “That’s part of his role, but … he can catch the football. He runs good routes. He’s technically sound.”