Philadelphia Eagles: Is Richard Rodgers really better than Noah Togiai?
Waiving Noah Togiai could look really bad on the Philadelphia Eagles down the line.
And then, there was none.
In most years, the Philadelphia Eagles‘ post-draft UDFA haul is nearly as anticipated as the actual draft. After watching the team utilize their picks in a way very few fans saw coming, these players, oftentimes too quirky to be prioritized on draft day, gave the team a second chance to find a diamond in the rough.
I mean think about it, seemingly every year some team finds a diamond in the rough starter in the post-draft free for all – this season that player appears to be James Robinson of the Jacksonville Jaguars – and eventually, that has to be the Eagles, right? That’s just the law of averages. Philly hasn’t had an undrafted player go rags to riches since Corey Clement in 2017 and he really only did so for half a dozen games.
More from Section 215
- 4 Eagles on the Bubble Who Have Clinched Their 53-Man Roster Spots
- Best Pennsylvania Sportsbook Promos: Win $650 GUARANTEED Bonus PLUS $100 off NFL Sunday Ticket
- 3 Punters the Eagles Must Target to Replace Arryn Siposs
- Cowboys Trey Lance Trade Proves How Screwed They Are With Dak Prescott
- Devon Allen Took Britain Covey’s Job on Eagles
To be fair, this year was no exception.
Sure, after making 10 selections in the 2020 NFL Draft – their most since 2011 – there wasn’t as much hype around the draft class as usual, as the Eagles went all flash from picks 21 to 233, but it wasn’t a total wash either. I mean the Eagles landed Michigan State defensive lineman Raequan Williams, Baylor defensive back Grayland Arnold, and UCF speedster Adrian Killins, surely one of those players had to stick around, right?
And of the Eagles’ initial 13 man class no one seemed like a surer thing to actually make the final 53 man roster than Oregon State tight end Noah Togiai.
Measuring in at 6-foot-4, 244 pounds with a 78-inch wingspan and 33.5-inch vert, Togiai came to South Philly as one of only six tight ends in Oregon State history to surpass 1,000 receiving yards over their college careers. While Togiai didn’t receive a combine invite, he still turned heads by running a 4.70 40 at OSU’ Pro Day and even had a meeting with the Los Angeles Rams in the lead up to the draft.
But in the eyes of Togiai and his tight end-centric agent Steve Caric, there was only one team to sign the former Beaver, the Eagles.
Paired up with Caric’s fellow client Zach Ertz, Togiai showed out for the Birds over a weird semi-virtual offseason, turning in some really nice camp performances while setting himself apart from fellow second-tier tight ends like Josh Perkins, Tyrone Swoopes, and Caleb Wilson. While blocking remained a work in progress for the college H-back, Togiai avoided the Birds’ first round of cuts and looked like a borderline sure thing to make the final 53 man roster going into Saturday.
But unfortunately, that just wasn’t meant to be.
With the 4pm EST deadline looming, Togiai was placed on waivers alongside other highish profile campers like Rasul Douglas, Shareef Miller, and Sidney Jones, and much to the Eagles’ disdain, he would not pass through the wire for a chance to land on the practice squad – officially ending any chances of a UDFA making the initial 53 man roster.
Claimed by Frank Reich and the Colts to replace another former Eagles tight end, Trey Burton, the Eagles suddenly found themselves a team who likes to run multiple tight end looks with only two tight ends on their active roster. Sure, Wilson did land on the practice squad but he can only be called up a handful of times a season, making his addition to the offense much less defined.
So the Eagles opted to take things another route and brought back a familiar friend to sure up their tight end position going into Week 1.
After being waived by Washington earlier this month, Richard Rodgers made his triumphant return to the Eagles for a third straight season with the team. Granted, Rodgers only played eight games for the Eagles over that tenure – 11 if you count the playoffs – and is a half-decade removed from his last 500 yards receiving season but hey, at least he knows Doug Pederson’s scheme, right? That’s valuable.
Yeah, I’d rather have three years of Togiai than a 28-year-old tight end with no real upside.
While I get why the Eagles opted to waive Togiai – I don’t agree with it but I understand it – isn’t the point of having a 53 man roster with only 46 players active on game day to retain promising young players who aren’t quite ready for prime time? You know, I sort of remember Howie Roseman saying something to that effect last summer to justify the team’s 2019 construction.
Is a special teams only non-captain like Rudy Ford really a higher upside retainee than Togiai? Can Togiai not run down the field and tackle a would-be returner? Was he just, a guy in camp and Rodgers presented a clear upgrade?
For whatever reason, the Philadelphia Eagles felt confident that Noah Togiai was good enough to earn first-team snaps in 12 personal looks during camp but not confident enough that he was good enough to earn a spot on their initial 53 man roster. By subjecting the 23-year-old to waivers, the Eagles allowed another team to try to develop him into a legitimate piece down the line, while ultimately replacing him with a player capped out as a TE3 in the NFL. Will Togiai turn into a viable TE2 down the line? Maybe, maybe not but unfortunately, it won’t be the Eagles who get to find out.