Has Richard Rodgers played himself into the Philadelphia Eagles future?

Quietly having a strong season, has Richard Rodgers played himself in the Philadelphia Eagles future plans?

After being cut by the Washington Football Team at the end of training camp, the Philadelphia Eagles were quick to pounce at the opportunity to re-sign tight end Richard Rodgers. Granted, this move was made due to Josh Perkins being lost for the season via an upper body injury; however, it has become increasingly clear it was the right move for Philadelphia.

Rodgers entered the season slated to serve as the team’s third string tight end. While this may not sound all that important, the Philadelphia Eagles are a team that loves to implement a two tight end system. So serving as that third guy in line, it was pretty clear that the opportunity to see some playing time would present itself. Once fellow tight end Dallas Goedert broke a bone in his ankle during a Week 3 game with the Cincinnati Bengals, Rodgers found himself with the chance to make an impact. While not being a particularly flashy player, this is exactly what he has done.

Unfortunately, the injury bug would bite the Philadelphia Eagles again as they have now just recently lost star tight end Zach Ertz for the foreseeable future; which in turn increased the role for Rodgers. Earning his first start of the season in this past Thursday’s game against the New York Giants, the big tight end certainly made the most of his opportunity.

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On Thursday, Rodgers easily logged an Eagles career high in snaps, playing 69 which equaled to 85% of the snaps on offense. He was targeted eight times, catching six ball for 85 yards, which totaled out at 14 yards per grab. The thing that was most impressive, was Rodgers’ ability to get down the field.

While we all love Ertz (and in no way am I saying Rodgers is anywhere near the level of player as Ertz), seeing a tight end catch the ball down the field and be able to run after the catch was refreshing. It was clear that Carson Wentz trusted Rodgers, as he continued to look his way in key spots.

His career with the Philadelphia Eagles so far has been a bit of an enigma. The last two seasons have been riddled with injuries, as he had only suited up in eight total games catching one ball for seven yards. However, the front office clearly believes in Rodgers, as they continue to bring him back. He has shown to be a competent offensive weapon in the past, as he has had previous success with the Green Bay Packers. His best year in 2015 saw Rodgers start 12 games, while catching 58 balls for just over 500 yards along with 8 touchdowns.

With the future of Zach Ertz in Philadelphia clearly in serious jeopardy, along with the Philadelphia Eagles loving to utilize two tight end sets, it is not out of the question to think that Richard Rodgers could be the Robin to Dallas Goedert’s Batman moving forward. At only 28 years old, it is not as if he would appear to be on his last leg.

The good news (for Rodgers) is that it appears he will be afforded plenty of chances in the coming weeks to show he can be that guy. With Ertz set to be out four to six weeks, and no timetable set at the moment for Goedert’s return, Rodgers will continue to serve as the team’s starting tight end. If he can continue to put together performances like he did this past Thursday against the Giants, do not be surprised to see Richard Rodgers work his way into the future plans for the Philadelphia Eagles.