Dallas Goedert missed practice on Wednesday with a hamstring injury that will likely keep him out of Sunday’s game against the Giants.
Time to see what Grant Calcaterra can do.
In his first year as the Eagles’ No. 2 tight end, Calcaterra played well after Goedert left the Browns game in the first quarter. Calcaterra ended up with 4 catches for 67 yards in the 20-16 win.
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“It was good,” Calcaterra said. “I’m glad to capitalize on my opportunities. It felt really good being out there.”
The Eagles didn’t make any major investments into the tight end position this offseason and now have the same two backups as they have the past couple of years in Calcaterra and Jack Stoll. The only difference this year is that Calcaterra jumped Stoll while Stoll was with the Giants this offseason and has remained ahead of him.
In his third NFL season, Calcaterra (a 2022 sixth-round pick) has been impressing the coaching staff.
“Grant has been on the rise since offseason and OTAs and during training camp,” head coach Nick Sirianni said. “Doing stuff when he doesn't get opportunities with the ball. I love the play of Grant when he slice-blocked the guy at New Orleans, and he sacrificed his body in Saquon's lane. And [Saquon] scores a touchdown, and Grant is laying on the ground like this (pointing to the end zone). You can't be great without the greatness of others in this unbelievable game.
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“He's done it without the ball, and then he had a chance to do it with the ball. Grant has developed. He's really worked. (Tight ends coach) Jason Michael has done an awesome job developing him, and all the credit goes to Grant for how much work he’s put in, how much talent he has. I think there is a chemistry there with Jalen (Hurts) and Grant as well with Jalen playing with him in college. All those things factor in.
“At the end of the day, Grant has been everything we expected as a draft pick when we took him a couple years ago and then some. He just keeps getting better. As bummed as I would be if Dallas is out, I'll be really excited about his opportunity like he got last week. Yeah, I'm excited for him.”
While the Eagles’ passing offense is obviously going to run through A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith on Sunday, it would be nice to get something out of the tight end position production-wise while Goedert is out. That hasn’t really been the case in recent seasons.
Over the last two years, Goedert has missed eight regular season games. The other tight ends on the roster (the same two on the roster right now) combined for 13 catches for 132 yards in those eight games. In the three games Goedert missed last year, Calcaterra didn’t have a single catch and Stoll had just 2 for 17 yards.
The big difference this year is that Calcaterra is the TE2. While he isn’t as good a blocking tight end as Stoll — although it is an area he has improved — he obviously offers more in the passing game. Maybe that’s because Calcaterra has been able to earn the trust of Hurts.
They weren’t teammates long in 2019 at Oklahoma because Calcaterra missed most of that season with a concussion. But Hurts and Calcaterra have at least known each other for a long time. That has to help.
“It’s always good to have a baseline with a teammate,” Hurts said. “When you can lean on past history, time spent, different plays that come up, you have some that you can reference. He’s definitely stepped in and he’s done that since he’s been here.”
Hurts on Wednesday pointed out that Calcaterra was once a top tight end recruit coming out of California, “so he’s always been a guy.”
Their short time together was 5 years ago but Calcaterra thinks it helps too. Sure, a lot has changed for both of them but that baseline allowed them to pick up where they left off when they became teammates in Philadelphia.
“It’s all about communication,” Calcaterra said. “And when you know somebody, you know how to communicate with them. I think it’s helpful.”
After his big performance on Sunday, which included a 34-yard catch-and-run, Calcaterra has already had a career season with 8 catches for 123 yards. But he has a real chance to build on that starting Sunday.
There’s no doubt the Eagles are going to miss Goedert for however long he’s out but if Calcaterra can produce a little bit, it’ll help soften the blow.
“I think it’ll go good,” Calcaterra said. “Like I say, I try to treat every week as if I’m going to be the one getting all the snaps. Obviously, I’m not usually. But I always try to be ready whenever my number’s called.”