Eagles' Nick Sirianni credits pass-catcher for stepping up amid injuries

When it comes to the Philadelphia Eagles' offense, almost all of the production comes from five players: Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Dallas Goedert.

Sure, sometimes a player like Kenneth Gainwell will go off for a massive day, or a player like Parris Campbell will pick up a few nice catches, but for the most part, Hurts trusts a few targets to get things done, and the Eagles' rushing offense has been a two-man show.

But what happens when one of those players, specifically Goedert, suffers an injury and can't go? Does the Eagles' offense become even more one-dimensional, or would Hurts instead expand his talent pool to include a few more options?

Thankfully, it was the latter, as his Oklahoma teammate, Grant Calcaterra, has been playing exceptionally well for the Eagles with Goedert on the shelf, to the point where he should probably get more runs when the South Dakota product returns to full strength.

Discussing what impressed the coaching staff about Calcaterra during camp, Nick Sirianni revealed that he's been high on the Oklahoma product for some time now and is proud of his efforts in 2024.

“I think it all started with Grant when we first got him and what we liked so much about him. I remember the rookie mini camp, Grant made some really unbelievable plays in rookie mini camp. We were like, yeah, we got something here. And we thought that. That’s obviously why we drafted him from his tape,” Sirianni told reporters.

“In opportunities that he’s had here and there, he’s made the most of them. I think he just had an outstanding off-season. The OTAs portion of it, I think we started to have more and more faith in Grant because of the work he put in, because of the development he had done. [Tight Ends Coach] Jason Michaels has done a great job of helping him develop. Grant has done a great job of developing himself. Dallas takes big pride in helping his teammates become better.

“And then he had a good training camp. Now he has this opportunity, with Dallas down, to have some balls thrown to him. He’s done a really nice job. Again, guys taking advantage of their opportunities is huge. Not only for your football team because guys are going to go down. [T] Fred [Johnson] has stepped in and done a nice job, [G/T] Tyler Steen stepped in and did a nice job, Grant, [CB] Isaiah [Rodgers]. It’s huge for your football team, but it’s also huge for these guys and their careers moving forward.”

Will Calcaterra return to the proverbial bench when Goedert is ready to return to the field? Maybe so, but considering the Eagles haven't gotten anything from their WR3 spot since Britain Covey was played on IR, transitioning to more 12 personnel looks could make the Eagles' passing offense more versatile while keeping the run game as effective as ever with another big body blocking down the field. Considering Calcaterra had more production in Week 8 than Jahan Dotson has all season, that play feels like a no-brainer.

Kellen Moore is proud of the Eagles' young TE, too

Asked about Calcaterra's rapid on-field development over the past few weeks, Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore credited his young tight end for really understanding the passing game, as it's allowed him to become a bigger part of the offense as a result.

“Grant [Calcaterra] has got a great feel for space. He’s got a great understanding of the passing game. Hats off to him, hopping in here since [TE] Dallas [Goedert] went down,” Moore told reporters. “For him to take the workload, the volume that he’s taken in the run game, he’s done a tremendous job. And then still being viable in the pass game. He seems to make big plays in critical moments, and he’s very reliable, and we feel very fortunate to have these tight ends that we do.”

Well, if Moore and Sirianni are big fans of Calcaterra, who knows, maybe he will remain a big part of the Eagles' offense once Goedert returns to the field. Fans can dream, right?