Getty Eagles tight ends Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert have been the subject of trade talks dating back to the offseason.
The Eagles may be without one of their top playmakers for at least two weeks, maybe longer.
Dallas Goedert left Sunday’s game after playing only six offensive snaps with a left ankle injury. He limped off the field following a seven-yard reception and then headed into the locker room for examination.
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Goedert has a “very small fracture” in his left ankle that will sideline him for “at least a couple weeks.” It could have been a lot worse, especially with the way he was wincing in pain, but the good news is the injury won’t require surgery.
UPDATE: Goedert was later placed on short-term IR by the team. He’ll be out for at least three weeks. The Eagles added Hakeem Butler to the active roster after stealing the tight end from the Panthers practice squad.
#Eagles TE Dallas Goedert has a very small fracture in his ankle that won’t require surgery, per source, but he’s expected to be out at least a couple weeks. Another blow to Carson Wentz’s supporting cast.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 29, 2020
Richard Rodgers replaced him in the lineup on Sunday and the Eagles added another tight end, Jason Croom, to their practice squad on Tuesday. Philadelphia loves utilizing their “12 Personnel” — two tight-end sets featuring Goedert and Zach Ertz, a package that usually allows Carson Wentz to get into a rhythm. Six of their first 10 plays against Cincinnati were run from that formation.
Goedert’s injury could be a major problem with so many injuries at wide receiver: DeSean Jackson (hamstring), Jalen Reagor (thumb), Quez Watkins (lower body), Alshon Jeffery (foot), J.J. Arcega-Whiteside (lower body).
“It’s going to be a part of our game,” head coach Doug Pederson said of injuries. “And nobody said this business would be easy. No one said coaching would be easy and playing would be easy. We signed up for it and we’re going to coach our players and coach the ones that are healthy and ready to go and prepare for this week.”
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CB Avonte Maddox Out 1-2 Weeks
Unfortunately for the Eagles, Goedert wasn’t the only player with a grim update. Starting cornerback Avonte Maddox will reportedly miss a couple of weeks as he battles back from his own ankle injury. He went down in the third quarter after making a tackle on Cincinnati’s Tyler Boyd out of bounds. Trevor Williams immediately replaced him on Sunday and saw 32 snaps on defense.
Eagles CB Avonte Maddox tells @975Mornings he expects to miss 1-2 weeks with an ankle injury.
Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz wouldn’t reveal the plan at cornerback moving forward, not wanting to “tip his hand” as the team prepares for a cross-country trip to San Francisco.
Philly has some flexibility at corner if they wanted to move safety Jalen Mills over or throw one of their slot guys — Nickell Robey-Coleman, Cre’Von LeBlanc — to the outside. Of course, it should be Williams’ job to lose. He looked solid versus the Bengals and has started 27 games in a productive five-year NFL career.
“He didn’t bat an eye. He was ready,” Schwartz said of Williams’ performance. “Probably said to himself, ‘Yeah, what took you guys so long?’ I mean that’s what you get with those guys. And he covered with confidence.”
The Eagles also signed undrafted rookie free agent Michael Jacquet to their practice squad on Tuesday to increase the depth at the cornerback position.
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