Getty Eric Ebron during a Colts game in 2019.
A non-call for an obvious face mask that was never called has now cost the Philadelphia Eagles their starting tight end for multiple weeks. Dallas Goedert will miss “extended time” with a shoulder injury, according to NFL Media’s Mike Garafolo, but he won’t be out for the remainder of the season. The team is debating whether to put Goedert on injured reserve.
Goedert was injured early in the fourth quarter on Monday Night Football when John Ridgeway landed on top of him after jarring the ball loose. Washington Commanders linebacker Jamin Davis grabbed Goedert’s face mask as Ridgeway was making the tackle which was ignored by the officials. After the game, head referee Alex Kemp explained why there was no penalty called.
“We didn’t see a face mask on the field,” Kemp said. “As far as the review, we were reviewing whether he was down by contact or whether it was a fumble and then whether the Washington player who recovered the ball was also down by contact.”
The play was a pivotal moment in the contest since it negated a 2-yard gain by Goedert on 3rd-and-1. Instead, it was ruled a fumble and Goedert ran off to the sideline where he was evaluated for injury. He later returned but the damage was done. Commanders kicker Joey Slye made a 55-yard field goal to extend Washington’s lead to 26-21.
Head coach Nick Sirianni could have easily blamed the refs for botching the call. Instead, he took the high road and credited his defense for keeping Washington out of the end zone.
“We have to have better ball security there,” Sirianni said. “We take a lot of pride in the way we protect the football. We were obviously loose with it there, that’s how they got it out. The defense did a nice job of stopping them there, so we held them to three.”
#Eagles TE Dallas Goedert will miss extended time with a shoulder injury suffered in the win over the #Commanders last night, sources tell me and @TomPelissero. Not a season-ender though. Injury added to insult on the play with the missed facemask that put him in harm’s way.
Replacing Goedert at Tight End in Philadelphia
There is no DeLorean that can take the Eagles back in time, so the team must find a suitable replacement for Goedert. The immediate in-house options are rookie Grant Calcaterra and second-year man Jack Stoll. The latter is more of a blocking tight end, although he does have 8 career catches for 71 yards.
Still in his 21-day practice window, TE Tyree Jackson is running routes when the other Eagles practice squad players
Watch out for Tyree Jackson. The Eagles activated the 21-day practice window on the converted quarterback on October 26 as he inches closer to a return from ACL surgery. Jackson (6-foot-7, 249 pounds) is beloved within the organization due to his big body and freak athleticism. If he’s ready to go, Jackson should see a significant uptick in snaps with Goedert out.
They also have veteran tight end Noah Togiai on the practice squad. The Los Angeles Chargers recently promoted ex-Eagles favorite Richard Rodgers from their practice squad so he’s off the table.
Top Players Available in Free Agency
Philadelphia could potentially look at bringing in a free agent tight end. Intriguing names on the waiver wire include Blake Jarwin, Eric Ebron, Jared Cook, Chris Herndon, and Ricky Seals-Jones. Ebron would make the most sense considering his familiarity with Nick Sirianni’s offense. The two spent two seasons together on the Indianapolis Colts, including Ebron’s lone Pro Bowl season in 2018.
Alex Schmidt lists Eric Ebron as a potential fit at backup TE for the #Eagles
With Sirianni serving as his offensive coordinator, Ebron racked up 97 receptions for 1,125 yards and 16 touchdowns. There were rumors of the Eagles signing him throughout the offseason.
Meanwhile, future Hall of Famers Rob Gronkowski and Jimmy Graham might warrant phone calls. Gronkowski has told people he’s officially retired; Graham hasn’t yet decided to call it quits. Both are unsigned.