How Will Eagles Offense Make Up For Loss Of Dallas Goedert?
PHILADELPHIA — It is going to take a group effort to try and replace Philadelphia Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert.
He suffered a fractured forearm in their Week 9 win over the Dallas Cowboys and is likely to miss extended time.
While there is optimism he will return during the regular season, the Eagles are expected to be without his services for the bulk of their brutal five-game stretch coming off their bye week with games at the Kansas City Chiefs, Cowboys and Seattle Seahawks and home games versus the San Francisco 49ers and Buffalo Bills.
“We are hopeful Dallas will make a good, clean recovery and be back soon, when he’s ready to be back,” coach Nick Sirianni said.
Part of what makes Goedert unique is he is above average both as a pass-catcher and blocker. He ranks 11th among tight ends in receiving yards (410) and has helped to pave the way for the No. 8 rushing unit in the NFL (129.7). No matter the situation, Goedert is an asset on the field.
In his absence, the Eagles are going to have to mix and match. Jack Stoll, a third-year player out of Nebraska, is in line for a significant role. He is known for his ability as a blocker. He has had limited output as a receiver with 17 career catches for 155 yards and no touchdowns in 42 games.
Grant Calcaterra, in contrast, is more known for his receiving: He averaged 16.2 yards per catch in limited action as a rookie in 2022. Calcaterra missed Week 9 with a concussion
The other tight end option on the roster is Albert Okwuegbunam, whom Philadelphia acquired from the Denver Broncos via trade in August. He made his Eagles debut against the Cowboys and played six snaps. Like Calcaterra, he’s known more for receiving (54 catches for 546 yards and four TDs in three seasons with Denver) than blocking.
Figuring out how to avoid tipping their hand on offense based on which tight end is in the game will be a challenge for the coaching staff.
Philadelphia probably will turn to players at other positions to help fill the production void, as they did last season when Goedert was sidelined for five games with a fracture in his shoulder.
“You can supplement it sometimes with different personnel groupings as well,” Sirianni said. “We feel like we have some good options.”
Receiver Quez Watkins in particular saw a bump in activity during that stretch, with 27 of his 51 targets coming over those five games. With Watkins (hamstring) currently on injured reserve, Olamide Zaccheaus and Julio Jones could see the largest uptick in opportunities among the wideouts. Running backs D’Andre Swift, Kenneth Gainwell and Boston Scott also could see a slight increase in targets.
Fueled by quarterback Jalen Hurts and the receiver duo of A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, Philadelphia went 5-0 in Goedert’s absence last season while averaging 33 points per game.
But the schedule is more daunting this time around, and it will be an all-hands-on-deck situation to keep the offensive machine humming with Goedert out. The coaching staff has the bye week to put its designs together before Monday’s Super Bowl rematch against the Chiefs (8:15 p.m., ESPN/ESPN+).
Tim McManus:
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