Eagles Facing Dilemma At Position They Haven't Addressed Much In Previous Drafts

Howie Roseman has had his share of plaudits the last few years and rightfully so, but the Eagles general manager isn’t perfect, and he knows that not every decision works out.

Does anybody remember Devin White? How about Matt Hennessy? Or Kevin Byard? Even the Phillies’ Bryce Harper strikes out sometimes.

Roseman’s personnel missteps aside, here is one that might be as obvious: what is up at the tight end position?

The GM hasn’t addressed the position in the draft. Since selecting Dallas Goedert in the second round seven years ago, he has drafted exactly one tight end. That was Grant Calcaterra, who was the Eagles’ final pick in 2022, coming in the sixth round as the 198th player taken overall.

Roseman has beefed up the position each year via undrafted free agents and under-the-radar signings, but the duct tape he has tried doesn’t always work. He’s been through serviceable players such as Richard Rodgers, Jack Stoll, C.J. Uzomah, and E.J. Jenkins. Not much sticks.

Now, here he is, between a rock and a hard place at tight end. The Eagles don’t have much choice but to keep Goedert, and that’s OK. He is still very good and is coming off a fantastic four games in the postseason.

But his salary-cap charge this year will be $11.8 million, which is too much for a player who missed seven games last year and has never played a full season. He is 30 and in the final year of his contract.

It’s a stretch to think that Calcaterra can be a starter if they were to try to trade Goedert, but it’s doubtful there would be a robust market for him if the Eagles did try.

To cut him would mean $21.3M in dead money, and he would still count $9.5M on the cap. The Eagles cannot designate him a post-June 1 cut, either, because only two players are allowed to carry that designation, and Darius Slay and James Bradberry already do.

The best move would be to give him a restructure, perhaps add a year or two with some void years beyond that. Either way, Roseman needs to draft a tight end, and it’s a class with a lot to offer.

When Roseman drafted Goedert, Zach Ertz was the unquestioned starter at the position and was just about to turn 28. Last year, the thinking was Roseman would take a tight end somewhere along the line.

He didn’t. Granted, it wasn’t a deep class. The first tight end off the board was Brock Bowers, but he went at No 13, so there was no chance at getting him. The next one didn’t get picked until the Commanders took Ben Sinnott with the 53rd overall pick. Ja’Tavion Sanders was a fourth-round pick and Theo Johnson went in the fifth round. There were others, but Roseman didn’t nibble.

Now, it appears as if he has no choice. First, though, he must figure out how to restructure Goedert’s contract to limit his cap charge if he can.