Eagles need offseason trade acquisition to step up in injured star's absence

The Philadelphia Eagles couldn’t have picked a worse time to be without their top tight end. With games against the Chiefs, Bills and 49ers on deck, losing Dallas Goedert will be hard to overcome.

Goedert is on the IR after surgery to repair a fractured forearm he suffered against the Cowboys. Prior to the injury, Philadelphia’s reliable tight end trailed only wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith with 38 catches for 410 yards.

He may not have the numbers of more popular names like the Chiefs’ Travis Kelce or Minnesota’s T.J. Hockenson, but Goedert is a more complete player. According to Pro Football Focus, Goedert’s run-blocking grades are fourth-best among tight ends and his pass-blocking grades are sixth-best.

So where does that leave Philadelphia? In nine games, backup tight end Jack Stoll has just two receptions for 10 yards. Grant Calcaterra hasn’t made a catch all season and missed last week’s game with a concussion suffered in Week 8 against the Commanders.

Now’s the time for Albert Okwuegbunam to make good on the sixth-round pick the Eagles gave up to get him in the offseason. Technically, Philadelphia received a seventh-round pick along with Okwuegbunam, but that hardly matters when the 25-year-old tight end hasn’t seen the field in 2023.