The Eagles entered the NFL draft with a giant question mark at the tight end position.
They ended the draft with that very same question mark.
In a draft rich with talented tight ends, the Eagles didn’t select a single one. Meanwhile, 30-year-old Dallas Goedert is entering the final year of his contract and would be owed north of $15 million (including a cap hit of $11.7 million) if the Eagles keep him.
The dual-threat Goedert has been productive throughout his career. Last year, he had 42 catches for 496 yards and a pair of touchdowns in 10 regular-season contests, plus an additional 215 yards and a TD in the postseason.
Since the Eagles drafted him in the second round in 2018, he has averaged 583 receiving yards per year, and that includes when he was still the second tight end behind Zach Ertz. He’s a punishing runner after the catch and can ignite the offense.
But he has also missed 15 games with injuries over the past three years alone. That’s almost a season’s worth of games.
The Eagles would like to keep him, but they feel his price tag is far too high. They want him to take a pay cut; Goedert doesn’t think that’s such a hot idea.
But as well-stocked as this draft was at the position, tight ends started coming off the board early. The Chicago Bears took Michigan’s Colston Loveland with the 10th overall pick, followed by the Indianapolis Colts nabbing Penn State’s Tyler Warren at No. 14. And it’s hard to blame the Birds for moving up a spot and taking Alabama linebacker/edge rusher Jihaad Campbell when they finally got to pick toward the end of the first round.
They addressed an important need, of which there were several on defense.
It’s also difficult to argue with their second-round selection (64th overall) of safety Drew Mukuba out of Texas. Besides, by the time that Eagles pick came up, three more tight ends — LSU’s Mason Taylor (Jets, 42nd), Oregon’s Terrance Ferguson (Rams, 46th) and Miami’s Elijah Arroyo (Seahawks, 50th) — were long gone, too.
General manager Howie Roseman said he explored trading up in the second round (not necessarily for a tight end), but noted it would have been expensive. He was delighted that Mukuba fell to 64.
Another well-regarded tight end, Harold Fannin Jr. of Bowling Green, came off the board early in the third round at No. 67 (Browns). The Eagles ended up trading out of that round.
“Dallas is part of the team as we speak,” Roseman said after the draft. “Obviously, as we go forward, we’re going to continue to address things on this team and right now nothing further.
“Dallas is a heck of a player — a heck of a player, a heck of a person. 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.”
A date to watch is June 1. If the Eagles trade him or release him before then, their cap hit jumps to a whopping $21.3 million in dead money. But if they part ways with him after June 1, they save approximately $4 million over what it would cost to retain him. Without him accepting a significant salary reduction, it’s tough to imagine he’ll still be here June 2.
That leaves Grant Calcaterra, the 2022 sixth-round pick who had 24 catches for 298 yards and a TD in 17 games last season. He was solid as the first tight end in Goedert’s absence, though not a dynamic threat. Considering their plethora of talent on offense, the Eagles may be willing to roll with Calcaterra as their lead tight end for now. Kylen Granson and Harrison Bryant, neither of whom has seen much action, currently fill out the depth chart.
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Actor Matthew McConaughey, a Texas Longhorns fan and Austin resident, was excited about the Eagles’ selection of Mukuba, posting on social media that he’s a “ball hawk with a hard a** hat.” Mukuba grew up in Austin after emigrating there with his family from Zimbabwe at age 9.
McConaughey, who is often on the Texas sidelines during games, did a quick synopsis of every Texas player drafted. He wrote that offensive tackle Cameron Williams, whom the Eagles drafted in the sixth round, is a “big human, raw talent.”
The Hollywood star famously took out a full-page ad in the Austin American-Statesman congratulating Austin native Nick Foles after he led the Eagles to a victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII.
Christiaan DeFranco covers the Eagles, Phillies and other sports for MediaNews Group/Tribune Publishing. Follow him on X at @the_defranc.
