Philadelphia Eagles: 5 thoughts on a confusing initial 53-man roster

PHILADELPHIA, PA - NOVEMBER 03: General manager Howie Roseman of the Philadelphia Eagles (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - NOVEMBER 03: General manager Howie Roseman of the Philadelphia Eagles (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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PHILADELPHIA, PA – SEPTEMBER 22: Zach Ertz #86 and Dallas Goedert #88 of the Philadelphia Eagles warm up prior to the game against the Detroit Lions at Lincoln Financial Field on September 22, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – SEPTEMBER 22: Zach Ertz #86 and Dallas Goedert #88 of the Philadelphia Eagles warm up prior to the game against the Detroit Lions at Lincoln Financial Field on September 22, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

Only two tight ends.

Considering the fact that the Philadelphia Eagles were one of the highest users of 12-personnel (two TE sets) in the entire NFL last season, it was pretty shocking to see the team only carry two tight ends on their initial roster. While a corresponding move will likely follow in terms of adding a third TE, the decision to not make room for a third already came back to bite them via the waiver wire.

The team’s third highest paid UDFA this offseason was that of former Oregon State TE Noah Togiai. The athletic pass-catcher had a fairly good training camp, and was a pretty common name that popped up on roster predictions. The Eagles have really struggled in finding a solidified TE3 ever since Trey Burton departed, and it really looked like Togiai was going to be the guy to take the role over moving forward.

However, the team opted to not make room for him on the 53-man, and he was quickly snatched up by the Indianapolis Colts via the waiver wire.

The Eagles are now yet again left without a reliable third TE, and will likely have to rely on practice squad call-ups to fill that role. I don’t even want to imagine a scenario where Zach Ertz or Dallas Goedert have to miss significant time this year due to injury…