Veteran Tight End Could Be The Extra Postseason Punch Eagles Need

Dallas Goedert is on track to return for the postseason.

Philadelphia Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert (88) runs through Baltimore Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton (14) tackle attempt. / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

PHILADELPHIA - Lost in the sizzle of the Eagles planning to sit Saquon Barkley 100 yards short of the NFL's all-time rushing record was the steak of the Eagles opening up the 21-day practice window of tight end Dallas Goedert, an important step en route to the veteran tight end's potential return for the postseason opener.

Goedert was placed on Injured Reserve after spraining his knee blocking for Barkley in the Eagles’ win at Baltimore on Dec. 1.

The seventh-year pro has missed the requisite four games and could be activated to the 53-man roster at any time over the next 21 days. With Sunday's regular-season finale against the Giants rendered meaningless for the Eagles the goal is to get Goedert on the field for a Wild Card Weekend game against either Washington or Green Bay that will be played in a Jan. 11-13 window.

“Yeah, we'll see, it’s hard to tell, you can't ever really tell,” Nick Sirianni said before a scheduled walkthrough on Wednesday. “We’ll get him back on the field and doing things, start his window."

It's been an injury-plagued season for Goedert, who also missed three games earlier with a hamstring injury suffered against Cleveland on Oct. 13.

In the nine games he has played and that number is really closer to eight because Goedert was hurt on the third offensive play of the game vs. the Browns, he has been very productive, amassing 38 receptions for 441 yards, numbers that would expand to 81 receptions for 937 yards over a full season.

Backup Grant Calcaterra has done a solid job in trying to replace Goedert but the drop-off is steep, especially in the blocking aspect of the position. The butterfly effect is even steeper when considering the TE3 of either E.J. Jenkins or C.J. Uzomah, neither of which has a reception this season.

More so Goedert, who is set to turn 30 on Friday of this week, is a passing option quarterback Jalen Hurts trusts implicitly, especially in third-down situations.

“It'll be super important to have [Goedert] back. He's a great football player that has helped this team win a lot of football games," Sirianni said. "So really excited for the possibility to get him back. And, like I said, we'll see when that happens. But it's just good to get him back on the field and getting him now practicing again, seeing him out there, because he is a presence for our offense.”

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