It’s no secret wide receiver A.J. Brown is the biggest trade chip the Philadelphia Eagles have this offseason. Pundits have also stressed this spring that quarterback Tanner McKee could be trade bait before the 2026 NFL season.
But putting those two players, Philly Voice’s Jimmy Kempski answered this weekend who are Philadelphia’s next-best trade chips.
Kempski named three players, including veteran tight end Grant Calcaterra.
“Remember when the Eagles traded Harrison Bryant last training camp? I could see them dealing Calcaterra from some player who isn’t going to make another team’s roster,” wrote Kempski. “He’s certainly expendable with Dallas Goedert, Eli Stowers, Johnny Mundt, and intriguing UDFA Dae’Quan Wright on the roster.”
Calcaterra has spent all four of his NFL seasons with the Eagles. Philadelphia re-signed him to a 1-year contract this offseason.
Since then, though, the team has brought back or added the four other tight ends Kempski mentioned.
Eagles TE Grant Calcaterra a NFL Trade Candidate?
The Eagles went from a practically empty tight end room to one quite crowded in the matter of a few weeks this spring.
It began when Philadelphia made its final free agency decision on Goedert. The Eagles re-signed their starting tight end a few days after the team also brought back Calcaterra very early in NFL free agency.
Then in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Eagles selected tight end Eli Stowers in the second round.
If that wasn’t enough, the Eagles also signed Johnny Mundt in NFL free agency prior to picking Stowers.
With those three tight ends in the fold, it’s possible Calcaterra could find himself pushed out of a significant role in Philadelphia this summer. If that happens, Kempski sees the team trying to trade him.
Kempski, though, flatly stated the tight end wouldn’t be worth much on the trade market.
In four seasons with the Eagles, Calcaterra has posted 42 catches, 494 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
His best campaign came in 2024 when he had 24 receptions and 298 receiving yards. But Calcaterra wasn’t able to build off of that decent season. Last year, he only had nine catches for 76 yards.
The Eagles drafted Calcaterra in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
Other TE Depth for Eagles Entering 2026 Offseason Workouts
As Kempski mentioned, the Eagles also have undrafted tight end Dae’Quan Wright on the offseason roster. But he’s actually just one of a handful of other tight ends offering the team even more depth at the position.
The Eagles have Cameron Latu, E.J. Jenkins and Stone Smartt on the offseason roster as well. Once Stowers officially signs his rookie contract, that will give Philadelphia eight tight ends.
Perhaps half will make the final roster in August. Goedert and Stowers are going to be on it.
Whether Calcaterra stays in Philadelphia could come down to a couple different things. Either him outperforming the undrafted rookie and other veterans over the summer and/or the Eagles preferring him over Mundt.
Both Calcaterra and Mundt don’t offer much in pass-catching. So, the Eagles could elect to keep one or the other.
The other tight ends could impact Calcaterra’s status too. While the Eagles made a higher financial investment in Calcaterra this offseason, the veteran tight end only has a $700,000 dead cap hit.
With the tight end depth the Eagles have built, Calcaterra is going to have to earn his keep this summer. Otherwise, it would make sense for Philadelphia to shop the tight end on the trade market.
Eagles Veteran TE Pegged Potential Trade Candidate