It is very unlike the Eagles to not have a succession plan in place at a key position. It is especially unlike the Eagles to not have a succession plan in place at tight end. From Brent Celek to Zach Ertz to Dallas Goedert, the Eagles have had a capable tight end in the hand and another in the holster for 18 years (sorry LJ Smith). Who is next on the list? No one. That Pax Tightenda has ended.
Dallas Goedert came back to the Eagles on a discount this season and we all rejoiced. A key piece of the defending Super Bowl champions was returning. Lost in that transaction though is that Goedert is 30 years old and has missed a non-insignificant chunk of games in 6 straight seasons. What was the plan if he didn’t come back? What was the plan if he got hurt like he always does and already has? It is shocking that Howie Roseman did nothing to address this issue in the offseason.
The Tight End Factory
Brent Celek was drafted in the 5th round in 2007 to play alongside LJ Smith. It didn’t take long for Celek to become the best tight end on the team, but Smith lasted 2 more years as the backup. Zach Ertz was taken early in the 2nd round in 2013. Ertz’s talent was easy to see and by his 2nd season, he was pretty clearly TE1. Celek graciously accepted the TE2 role and stayed with the team behind Ertz for 4 seasons. Despite Ertz seemingly having plenty in the tank when Celek retired, the Eagles selected Goedert in the 2nd round that same offseason. Ertz managed 200+ catches over the next 2 seasons with his understudy breathing down his neck, but after 2021 the writing was on the wall. Ertz was being phased out and was traded midway through the 2021 season. The job was Goedert’s full time.
From there, the process changed. The Eagles never really addressed the position again. Grant Calcaterra was drafted in the 6th round in 2022, the year after trading Ertz, but that was hardly the 2nd round level investment we had seen previously. Despite still being with the team, Calcaterra has yet to pan out as a solid NFL player. Neither has anyone else on the team. You would think the Eagles would have prepared a little better for the inevitable end of Goedert’s productivity. They haven’t. Now we are stuck.
What Happened?
About 1 month after Ertz was traded, Goedert signed a 4/$57m contract extension. That’s usually the cue for the Eagles to start at least thinking about the future. In the 2022 draft, the Eagles took Cam Jurgens at #51. 4 picks later, Trey McBride went the Cardinals. No big deal, we needed a center of the future as well. In 2023, Sam LaPorta and Michael Mayer went 34 and 35, but the Eagles chose Nolan Smith at #30. No big deal again. Drafting Jurgens and Smith have been objectively great moves. After all, Goedert, though regularly hurt, was still in the middle of his contract. Succession wasn’t yet necessary, just a consideration.
By 2024 though, the Eagles had to know that they needed to get a solid TE2 on the team in order to not miss a beat in the future. Plus, cutting Goedert for cap purposes after the 2024 season was already on the table. We weren’t going to take Brock Bowers in the 1st round, obviously, and Cooper DeJean fell in our laps in the 2nd. Still, with 9 total picks, none of them were used on a TE. Even a late round pick would have been someone to possibly build on even as a lottery ticket. We did pick one small WR in Ainias Smith and one big WR in Johnny Wilson though.
At the end of the season, it really looked like the Eagles were going to cut Goedert in order to not trigger his $14m option bonus (plus $1.5m in salary and incentives). Instead, a 1/$10m contract that saved the team money in the long and short term was worked out. Now the Eagles would have to draft a tight end, right? I was sure of it. Except, they didn’t.
The 2025 Draft was set up perfectly for the Eagles to take a TE too. There were 2 first round talents who we would never take, Colston Loveland and Tyler Warren, but more importantly, several 2nd-3rd round athletic types were right in out zone with the 64th pick and ammo to move up. Unfortunately, Mason Taylor (#42), Terrance Ferguson (#46), and Elijah Arroyo (#50) were all selected a little too early. That still left Bowling Green TE Harold Fannin Jr on the board for us at #64. The Eagles selected Andrew Mukuba instead. I have no fault with the pick, but to miss on this whole group when TE was a significant need seemed uncharacteristic. It was 53 picks before another TE was selected, but it wasn’t by the Eagles. They didn’t pick any, again.1
Was the team planning on converting Johnny Wilson to play TE? He’s 6’6″, 230 pounds, so he fits the build. Unfortunately, he’s done for the season. Were they planning on making a trade? All they did during the Goedert uncertainty was sign Kylen Granson and Harrison Bryant, two practice squad level guys. Was that really how we would have gone into the season without Goedert???
What Do We Do Now?
The NFL Trade Deadline is 7 weeks away and it would not be surprising if the Eagles targeted a TE even if Dallas Goedert is healthy. David Njoku and Michael Mayer fit the mold. Njoku isn’t very good despite his numbers, but he wouldn’t cost much in terms of money or compensation. Mayer on the other hand is being wasted in Las Vegas. They are a bad team with 2 quality tight ends. He can’t be happy there.
Any in season fixes will be minimal, so what about 2026? We are now in the bad position of RED ALERT needing to draft a tight end unless we go get Mayer or someone else. Whoever we draft though will only be a rookie that will be expected to play a key role on a Super Bowl contender. That’s not ideal. Who is out there?
- Eli Stowers – He is the top TE in the 2026 Draft and a former QB out of New Mexico but currently at Vanderbilt. He is going to test off the charts.
- Mayer – he just seems like the most logical fit. With Brock Bowers in LV, Mayer is never going to be a big option on offense. He will be entering his 4th season in the league and in his last year to prove himself worthy of a big contract. Unless there is an injury to Bowers, that won’t happen. If I am his agent, I am trying to get him out of Dodge either at the deadline or at the start of free agency.
- Isaiah Likely – The Ravens backup TE has yet to debut this season but will be a free agent next year. The Ravens still have Mark Andrews, but he’s 30 and on the downslope of his career. There’s a chance neither come back or both.
- Kyle Pitts – Pitts has been a pretty big disappointment so far in his young career despite tantalizing talent. He still has those raw athletic attributes though that could break out on a second contract and with a change of scenery. At only 25, he is young enough for a team to still beleive in.
- Dallas Goedert – It’s not crazy to think Goedert comes back on another 1 year deal. If he does, it would telegraph that the Eagles are drafting a tight end, but need to give him a year to grow. Basically, what should have been the plan this season.
For a team that had Moro Ojomo ready to go behind Milton Williams and Jalyx Hunt ready for Josh Sweat to leave, having ZERO tight end depth is really perplexing. It’s just not like Howie to completely abandon the TE position. For as genius as he is, I think he just kept pushing back the TE succession plan until it was too late.
- The Eagles obviously wanted Mukuba and were afraid someone would take him considering he was seen as a bit of a reach at the time. Mukuba was the 3rd safety off the board. However, the 4th didn’t go until pick #82. Xavier Watts of ND went with the final pick in the 3rd round. It really seems like Fannin could have gone at 64 and a trade up could have landed Mukuba in the 3rd. Oh well. I’m obviously happy with our new safety after the KC game. ↩︎
Philly Front Office 
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