Eagles GM Says Team Looking for Tight End After Roster Cuts

The Philadelphia Eagles may have trimmed down their roster, but they aren’t done making moves. The team still needs a third tight end.

GM Howie Roseman confirmed the Eagles are in the market for more depth at the position Saturday during a post-cutdown press conference. The team will start the season with two tight ends — Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert — on the 53-man roster. They also placed veteran Richard Rodgers on injured reserve. He doesn’t take up a roster spot and is eligible to return in Week 9.

In the meantime, Roseman will be scanning the waiver wire and exploring potential trades for an additional tight end. The Eagles ultimately didn’t think either Josh Perkins or Alex Ellis were good enough fits.

“We think that we have versatility on our roster — on our offensive roster — with guys that can do certain roles and also what we are looking for specific to not only offense, but also special teams and body types on special teams and certain positions on special teams,” Roseman told reporters. “So we would definitely add another tight end to the 53-man roster when we look at that, but we’ll just see how the week goes and what’s available.”

Tight Ends Available in NFL Free Agency

1. Austin Seferian-Jenkins

The 26-year-old signed a one-year deal with the New England Patriots, but was cut in June and told NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport that he was taking a month off from football to deal with “personal issues.” Well, a month has passed and the Eagles suddenly have a need for an extra tight end. Would they be willing to take a chance on a guy with character issues? In 2016, Seferian-Jenkins was pulled from a game in Tampa Bay for “not knowing what he was doing.” In 2017, he reached a plea deal in a driving under the influence case stemming from an incident in Florida. In six very productive NFL seasons, Seferian-Jenkins has 116 receptions for 1,160 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns.

2. Jermaine Gresham

At first glance, the 31-year-old Gresham doesn’t appear to fit in with the Eagles’ rapid youth movement. However, this is a solid veteran player who appeared in two Pro Bowls in his early years with the Cincinnati Bengals. In 2012, he racked up 64 receptions for 737 yards and five touchdowns while turning into a waiver-wire steal for fantasy football nerds. He’s also a good dude as evidenced by a story about him paying for a random airline passenger’s carry-on fee. According to ESPN, he does random acts of kindness like that all the time. In nine NFL seasons, Gresham has 377 catches for 3,752 yards and 29 touchdowns.

3. Neal Sterling

Sterling is a very interesting option at tight end, especially considering his ties to the Jersey shore. The 27-year-old grew up in Belmar, NJ and played college football at Monmouth University. He was selected in the seventh round of the 2015 NFL Draft and spent his first two seasons in Jacksonville. Sterling struggled to latch on with the Jaguars, only appearing in 19 games, and then signed with the New York Jets. But a concussion-shortened 2018 season stunted a promising beginning after he started in five games. The Jets cut bait with Sterling in June. He played in 16 games and made 12 receptions for 129 yards.