Eagles Howie Roseman Delivers Foreboding Message On Tight End Front

No tight end. It jumps out. The Eagles added 10 players to their roster over three days of the NFL Draft. Not one of them was a tight end.

General manager Howie Roseman made five trades in those three days. Not one of them involved Dallas Goedert.

The veteran tight end is still a part of the Eagles. And that’s a good thing. Goedert is a big part of the Eagles’ success since he arrived in the second round of the 2018. You might even be surprised to know that he led the Eagles in postseason receiving in both receptions with 17 and yards with 215.

He has been injury prone the last couple years, but the Eagles are a better team with him on it.

“Dallas is part of the team as we speak,” said Roseman after the draft ended on Saturday night. “Obviously, as we go forward, we're going to continue to address things on this team and right now nothing further.”

That’s ominous. It sounds like Goedert won’t be a part of things going forward. He’s still on the team because the salary-cap charge and dead money hit would be substantial if he is cut or traded before June 1. After that demarcation line, the Eagles save money on both fronts if he is released or traded.

Maybe there will be a summertime trade coming. Or maybe that tone isn’t as foreboding as it sounds, and there will be a reworked contract in the pipeline.

“Dallas is a heck of a player – a heck of a player, a heck of a person,” said Roseman. “Certainly don't want to do anything publicly where we're discussing anyone's business, but I have so much respect for him. Been to two Super Bowls together and obviously would love him on this team. You always love having Dallas on this team, but we're not there right now on any of that. But, love Dallas Goedert.”

The expectation was that Roseman would draft a tight end this weekend. There were plenty to choose from, but the Eagles never shopped in their aisle. There were 24 of them taken from various universities and colleges.

“Just trying to be as true as we could to the board,” said Roseman. “Every time that we had the opportunity to pick, we were looking at the board and really trying to reflect what that worked to put those grades in really should be reflected in the outcome, so we didn't want to kind of drop down at some points. There were some points where it was close, but it was never at the time we were selecting the best player.”

Perhaps a tight end will come as an undrafted free agent. He won’t be as good as Goedert. Not in his first year. Roseman brought in free agents Harrison Bryant and Kylen Granson. They’re OK, but not Goedert. Grant Calcaterra is still around. As is E.J. Jenkins. Not Goedert, though.

For now, Goedert is here, but after hearing Roseman talk on Saturday night, it doesn’t sound like he will be when training camp opens in July. A big reveal will occur in May when voluntary OTAs begin on May 27.

Will he show up?