The Eagles came away with a key victory on Sunday, but their offense was dealt a blow in the process. Tight end Dallas Goedert suffered a fractured forearm, as detailed by ESPN’s Tim McManus.
An MRI will take place on Monday to determine the extent of the injury, but Goedert is in line to miss signficant time already. As McManus notes, the 28-year-old is a candidate to be placed on injured reserve, a move which would guarantee at least a four-week absence. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports Goedert could have surgery as early as today, and that a recovery timeline of roughly one month should be expected (video link).
The former second-rounder went down with a shoulder injury around this time last season, and he missed five games as a result. The Eagles saw a signficant downturn in production from the TE spot during that span, underlying Goedert’s importance to the team’s passing attack. The South Dakota State alum posted 702 yards and three touchdowns in 2022 despite the missed time, which represented a strong follow-up to his career-best 830 yards from the previous season.
Goedert has remained a consistent producer in 2023 for the defending NFC champions, putting up a 38-410-2 statline through nine contests. While the Eagles’ offense still has a strong ground game and the receiver tandem of A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith to depend on, Goedert’s absence will be felt once the team comes back from its Week 10 bye. A trio of candidates are available to take on starting tight end duties.
Jack Stoll played the most snaps at the position after Goedert went down, with offseason trade acquisition Albert Okwuegbunam also in the mix to take on an increased workload. Grant Calcaterra missed the Week 9 win while recovering from a concussion, but with the bye week looming he should be able to suit up for Philadelphia’s next contest. It will be interesting to see how the Eagles arrange their TE room for the short-term future knowing they will once again be without Goedert atop the depth chart for a stretch.