The Eagles’ offense has changed a lot over the years, but tight end Dallas Goedert has been a staple on the team for a long time.
He was the prize of a Super Bowl Champion team. Then he witnessed the previous regime crumble from dominance. Now, he’s one of the headline acts of a new system of playmakers. This is how Goedert became the connector between two eras of Eagles football.
A Closer Look Into Eagles Tight End Dallas Goedert
Post-Super Bowl Luxury
On February 4, 2018, the Philadelphia Eagles brought joy to their fanbase in a way some never thought they would experience. The team captured its first Super Bowl championship in franchise history, defeating the New England Patriots 41-33 in a shootout. The victory also ended their almost six-decade-long championship drought period.
Due to this, the organization had built up a lot of goodwill with the fanbase. General Manager Howie Roseman took the team from a young upstart squad to a championship roster in one offseason. However, now that they had reached the mountaintop, they needed to stay there.
The team was thought to have a bright future, with second-year star quarterback Carson Wentz being a torn ACL away from winning league MVP that season. Roseman knew the team needed more firepower though, and an opening came at tight end. Longtime stalwart Brent Celek retired and pro bowler Zach Ertz was getting older. The Eagles answer to this came in the 2018 Draft.
The Eagles traded up in the second round to pick 43. They jumped the rival Dallas Cowboys to take Goedert with that pick. Goedert came in as a promising backup. He put up back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in his final two college years and scored 13 touchdowns in that time.
He was also quickly greeted by Wentz, who had familiarity with the tightened being that he played for college rival South Dakota State.
Steadiness In an Unsteady Time
Simply put, the years post-2017 were a rollercoaster for the birds. Wentz never quite returned to his MVP form after his ACL injury and other injury struggles plagued the roster keeping them from being anything more than a Wildcard team.
Despite this, Goedert was steadily building an image as a reliable target. Even with limited playing time behind Ertz, Goedert still put up 334 yards and caught four touchdowns. He caught 80% or more of his targets in 10 of his 16 games, including going seven-for-seven for 73 yards and a touchdown in Wentz’s return game against the Colts. He also caught one of just two touchdowns in Philly’s Wildcard win over the Bears that season.
Goedert doubled his production in 2019. He went from 33 catches to 58, 334 yards to 607, and caught one more touchdown than the season prior. He was building trust with Wentz as a target, but that connection was short-lived.
The team bottomed out in 2020. After an abysmal 4-11-1 season, Roseman decided it was time to hit the reset button. Super Bowl-winning coach Doug Pederson was fired that offseason and Wentz was shipped to the Colts for draft picks. Other familiar faces from that regime like Ertz, Alshon Jeffery and Jason Peters were released or traded as well.
Goedert was officially the full-time starter and would need to be an effective leader to make the next regime successful.
Out With The Old In With The New
The Eagles were given a facelift in 2021. They brought in new head coach Nick Sirianni and turned the offense over to second-round quarterback Jalen Hurts. They also brought in Heisman Trophy Winner DeVonta Smith as a new receiving weapon.
Despite a slow 2-5 start, the team turned itself in the second half finishing 9-8 and earning a surprise playoff birth. A big contributor to this was Goedert doing what he does best, being a security blanket for Hurts.
Goedert had arguably the best season of his career in 2021, going for a career-high in receiving yards with 830 and yards-per-reception with 14.8. He also boasted a 73% catch percentage while going for multiple 100-yard game efforts in Philly’s playoff push.
Due to the unforeseen success, Roseman felt it was time for another push and kept adding to the roster, including bringing in another big receiving target in A.J. Brown. Roseman’s efforts saw the team go to another Super Bowl against the Kansas City Chiefs, coming up just short and losing 38-35.
Despite the loss, the Eagles stay in contention for one of the top teams in the NFL, and Roseman’s aggressiveness to improve the roster has not faltered. While it’s exciting to see new additions to the team like former Giants running back Saquon Barkley, it’s also important to value some of the foundational pieces that have been there from the start like Goedert.
Main Photo: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
