Eagles Biggest Fear Comes To Light With Dallas Goedert: Why Zach Ertz Becomes TE1

Only took two weeks for Dallas Goedert to miss time for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Goedert, who suffered a sprained knee in Sunday's win over the Tennessee Titans, is expected to miss multiple weeks (according to reports). The Eagles had to make a roster move with Goedert out, signing Zach Ertz to the practice squad (per reports).

Philadelphia had an extra spot on the practice squad, so signing Ertz to a veteran deal there made plenty of sense. The Eagles have three practice squad elevations to use on Ertz, so they don't ahve to promote him on the active roster until Week 6 -- asuming they use all three practice squad elevations.

There is still a roster spot available on the 53 as well, so the Eagles can still add talent there if they choose.

The biggest fear with the Eagles has been realized with Goedert's injury. Ertz gives this team some breathing room at least.

Can Eagles survive without Goedert?

The Eagles tight end room looked strong at the beginning of camp. That was before the team learned Eli Stowers wasn't good enough to play immediately (then later landed on injured reserve with a hamstring and quad injury) with Goedert having to carry the room.

Goedert made his impact in Week 1 with two touchdown catches, but it was clear he had to stay healthy. That didn't last long, and the Eagles felt the impact of not having Goedert against the Titans.

Johnny Mundt was ineffective in the pass game and E.J. Jenkins didn't even get a target. The Eagles were asking too much out of two players that aren't suited for those roles.

Mundt is a good blocking tight end, but he's a TE3. Jenkins is fortunate to be on the roster, which showed how dire the position needed to be addressed heading into the season.

A move needed to be made, whether Goedert was healthy or not.

Ertz is the TE1 -- and should start Sunday

Goedert isn't going to be available this week, and the Eagles brought in Ertz for multiple reasons. Outside of the how thin the position was, the Eagles had no other choice. They needed a pass catcher at tight end for this offense, someone who is competent at the position.

Ertz is one of the best pass-catching tight ends in NFL history. He has 825 catches in his career, fifth in NFL history amongst tight ends. Only Tony Gonzalez (1,325), Jason Witten (1,228), Travis Kelce (1,080), and Antonio Gates (955) have more. All are in the Hall of Fame or will be in the Hall of Fame.

In 13 NFL seasons, Ertz has 8,592 receiving yards -- eighth-most in NFL history for tight ends. His 57 touchdown catches are 10th-most for tight ends. Ertz is one of the best recieiving tight ends the league has ever seen.

Sounds competent enough right?

The version Ertz was last season at 35 years old has better numbers than Mundt and Jenkins combined. Ertz had 50 catches for 504 yards and four touchdowns in 13 games last season before the ACL injury.

Mundt and Jenkins? Nine catches for 111 yards and zero touchdowns last season. This year? Two catches for 8 yards, and all belong to Mundt.

Ertz is the TE1 the second he steps on the field. Hopefully for the Eagles, that will be this week.

Did Eagles do enough?

The tight end room looks better once Goedert is back, whenever that is. Goedert is one of the top tight ends in the game when he's healthy, and Ertz is a good pass catching TE2 if the two can co-exist.

That would put Mundt back in the TE3 role, which is what they signed him to be. Jenkins can be the TE4 that plays special teams and used in "13 personnel" as an extra blocker. The Eagles haven't used much "12 personnel" or "13 personnel" thanks to the lack of depth at tight end.

That will remain the case until Goedert comes back. What about Eli Stowers?

Stowers still has two more weeks on injured reserve before he can return, but it's unlikely he would be ready to be a major contributor to the offense. He would be an upgarde over Jenkins as a pass catcher, but the Eagles wouldn't keep four tight ends active.

For the rest of 2026, Goedert and Ertz will be a good 1-2 combo. Let's see if Ertz can break soem franchise records now that he's back with the Eagles.

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