The offensive injuries are really beginning to pile up for the New England Patriots.
The team was already playing without A.J. Brown, Romeo Doubs and TreVeyon Henderson on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins. Then, the Patriots lost tight end Hunter Henry to a foot injury during the game.
Henry exited during the second quarter and didn’t return.
Before Week 8, Henry was leading the Patriots in catches and receiving yards. Given that fact and the team’s other injuries to key playmakers, the tight end missing any time could be a doomsday scenario for New England.
With that in mind, it could also force the Patriots to make a trade. WEEI’s Meghan Ottolini wondered Sunday night whether New England could try to acquire another veteran tight end.
Would the Patriots be bold enough to call the Eagles back and inquire about Dallas Goedert as a pure rental? They should,” wrote Ottolini. “Maye proved once again that he can turn chicken excrement into chicken salad, but if the Patriots expect to contend in January, they have to give their young quarterback better ingredients to work with.”
The Philadelphia Eagles lost again Sunday night to fall to 2-6. Philadelphia could have a major fire sale at the NFL trade deadline, which would make veteran tight end Dallas Goedert available.
Goedert will turn 32 years old in January and is in a contract year with the Eagles. This season, he has 26 receptions, 258 receiving yards and two touchdowns in six games.
Could Patriots Acquire Eagles TE Dallas Goedert?
Pundits have speculated that Goedert could be one of many players the Eagles part with before the NFL trade deadline. Philadelphia has lost six in a row and doesn’t look anything like a contending team.
The Eagles have one contest remaining to prove otherwise before the November 10 trade deadline. If the team’s free fall continues, there’s little reason for Philadelphia to keep Goedert other than nostalgic purposes.
Goedert has only played for the Eagles in his career. He has posted 435 receptions for nearly 5,000 receiving yards in 114 career games.
Acquiring Goedert wouldn’t move the needle as much as other potential trade deadline moves the Patriots could make. But Goedert would probably be relatively cheap to acquire strictly as a rental. The Patriots could view him as an immediate boost for the offense until some of the team’s other playmakers return healthy this season.
Goedert isn’t the same tight end who had at least 500 receiving yards each season from 2019-23. But last season, he posted 591 receiving yards behind 60 receptions (9.9 yards per catch). Goedert also dominated in the red zone, registering a career-high 11 touchdowns.
Hunter Henry Injury Update
If there’s a reason not to consider Goedert as a trade target, it might be because Henry’s injury doesn’t seem too serious.
That’s what quarterback Drake Maye suggested after Sunday’s win against the Miami Dolphins.
“He seems fine in there,” Maye said, via MassLive.com’s Lauren Campbell. “He seems like he’s walking around fine, he’s got a smile on his face.”
It appears as though Henry avoided a catastrophic injury. But that doesn’t mean he will be ready to go in the team’s next contest on November 8.
However, even if Henry proves to rebound quickly, the Patriots could still consider Goedert as a trade deadline addition. The veteran tight end has the ability to provide insurance to Henry, who is as valuable as any playmaker the Patriots have at the moment.
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