When the Philadelphia Eagles’ initial injury report for this weekend’s game against the Denver Broncos was revealed on Wednesday, Eagles fans felt like they were having deja vu with tight end Dallas Goedert, who was listed as a DNP with a knee injury.
The veteran tight end missed the Eagles’ Week 2 win over the Kansas City Chiefs due to a knee injury, but returned in the following week against the Los Angeles Rams. On Thursday, Philadelphia fans received some good news on Goedert as he was back at practice, per Andrew DiCecco of InsideTheBirds.com.
Eagles fans know how important Goedert is to the offense’s success, not only as a receiver but as a blocker as well. We saw Grant Calcaterra struggle a couple of weeks ago in the TE1 spot, and fans don’t want to see a repeat of that.
Speaking of Calcaterra, Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia also reported that he was the only player on the 53-man roster not seen on the practice field on Thursday, making Goedert's return that much more timely.
Dallas Goedert Returns to Practice on Thursday After DNP on Wednesday
In last week’s win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the 30-year-old Goedert played well, as he had four receptions (four targets) for 37 yards and a pair of scores. Two of his targets came inside the red zone, as the Eagles schemed up two TDs for the tight end.
The first touchdown came off an interesting play design, as QB Jalen Hurts flipped it to Goedert, who was lined up behind Saquon Barkley, Cameron Latu, and Calcaterra to get Philly on the board. Then, on the second touchdown, Hurts did an old-fashioned shovel pass to Goedert to give the Eagles a 14-point lead in the first half, which was ultimately stretched out to 18 points at the break.
The veteran tight end has now scored three touchdowns in the last two games, which is a good sign heading into a tough matchup against Denver. This season, the Broncos are ranked 14th in yards allowed to tight ends (176) and eighth in receptions allowed (15).
And did we mention that they’re one of only five teams that haven’t given up a touchdown to an opposing tight end this season?
This doesn't mean that Goedert won't be a factor for the offense on Sunday, but he may have to work a little harder to match the production fans saw from him the last two weeks.
A healthy Goedert could give Denver’s defense something else to think about, as a lot of attention will be on the Eagles’ WRs (A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith), and their match-up against the Broncos' secondary, led by All-Pro Patrick Surtain II.