Eagles reportedly preparing to play without this offensive starter for the 2nd time this season

For the second time this season, the Eagles are preparing to be without a starting tight end, this time as a result of an injury that occurred in Sunday’s 24-19 win over the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium.
According to Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Jeff McLane, Dallas Goedert is expected to be “week-to-week” after suffering a knee injury in the fourth quarter. McLane added that MRI results indicate Goedert could be a “good candidate” for injured reserve, though the injury is not expected to sideline him for the rest of the season.
This is not the first injury to cost Goedert multiple games this season. In Week 6 against the Cleveland Browns, he injured his hamstring. While the injury didn’t warrant a stint on injured reserve, it forced him to miss three games. If Goedert is placed on injured reserve now, he would be eligible to return for the regular-season finale against the Giants.
Goedert is regarded as one of the three focal points of the Eagles’ passing offense, along with wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. However, injuries have limited his production this season. He has 38 catches for 441 yards and two touchdowns, including the 17-yard pass he caught Sunday.
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With Goedert sidelined, Grant Calcaterra will take over as the starter. Calcaterra has become a reliable target this season, catching 17 of 20 passes for 216 yards. He has also improved as a blocker, which previously limited his playing time. When asked during Monday’s press conference about the status of Goedert and his thoughts on Calcaterra, head coach Nick Sirianni said that Calcaterra had stepped up earlier this season and has shown that he is capable of filling in as the starter.
“Dallas has unfortunately had to miss some time this year but Grant has done a nice job of really making plays,” Sirianni said. “If  you go back last year to when Dallas missed a little bit of time you didn’t see some production from the tight ends and we had to spread that around a little bit and gave A.J.and DeVonta  a couple more touches and put four wide receivers into the game. What Grant has done has given everybody a little bit more confidence that you can still stay in “11″ personnel and still keep those plays in for Grant because he can contribute.”
The Eagles face a key decision on who will back up Calcaterra. Practice squad tight ends C.J. Uzomah and E.J. Jenkins are out of practice squad elevations, meaning the team will need to add one to the active roster if Goedert goes on injured reserve. The team will also need to evaluate their approach to three-tight-end packages. After Goedert’s exit against Baltimore, offensive lineman Tyler Steen filled in, a strategy the Eagles may use again in short-yardage situations.
While the Eagles have rarely passed out of that formation, they could turn to Parris Campbell or Johnny Wilson—once Wilson recovers from his hamstring injury—to run tight end routes. Both players have contributed as downfield blockers on running plays and could chip edge defenders effectively on outside runs while still being threats in the passing game.
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Chris Franklin may be reached at [email protected].