The Philadelphia Eagles received some excellent news concerning their tight end, Dallas Goedert. Goedert injured his shoulder against the Washington Commanders on Monday Night Football in Week 10 and was placed on injured reserve.
That means he would miss at least four games, so he will be sidelined for at least two more before he is eligible to return. But, there is optimism from the franchise that he will be able to return when first eligible, which would be against the Chicago Bears in Week 15. He was no longer wearing a sling, which is a step in the right direction.
That is certainly encouraging for the Eagles as Goedert is an important part of their game plan on offense given his skills as both a pass catcher and blocker. Without him, in the lineup, the tight end position is arguably their weakest spot on the roster without proven options behind him on the depth chart.
But, if some of the players on the team have their way, that will eventually change. Currently retired tight end Rob Gronkowski was mentioned in an Eagles mailbag as a potential target for the team to help replace Goedert. That suggestion could become a reality as players on the team have been reaching out to him to gauge his interest in helping them make a playoff run.
Philadelphia has shown they aren’t shy about bringing in veterans to address needs as they acquired Robert Quinn from the Chicago Bears ahead of the trade deadline. They also signed Linval Joseph and Ndamukong Suh in free agency to bolster their defensive line. Could Gronkowski be next for them?
Adding Gronkowski would be a huge upgrade for this offense. He may not be as athletically dominant as earlier in his career, but he still has a very high IQ and the size to create mismatches working the seams or in the red zone.
Last season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Gronkowski caught 55 passes for 802 yards and six touchdowns in 12 games. It was the most yards that Gronkowski has had in a season since 2017 when he had 1,084 yards as he showed that he still has some gas in the tank.
A duo of Goedert and Gronkowski at the tight end spot would provide the Eagles to add another dimension to their lineup. It would also provide them with some insurance in case Goedert’s recovery is derailed in any fashion.
