The Eagles had maneuverability and motive to move up and grab a tight end. Heading into the 2025 NFL Draft, with Dallas Goedert ever in limbo, the franchise was targeted to get one as early as the first round.
Colston Loveland. Tyler Warren. Mason Taylor. These were mocked as possibilities, although the jump up the board to get a marquee name would have been costly. So, the Eagles did what Eagles do best … they hunted.
Patiently, they waited. Stealthily, they compared grades. When all the dust had settled, and with all the barnstorming over — the eye of Howie Roseman’s tornado twisting furiously in the later rounds — the Eagles ultimately passed on the position despite multiple opportunities to land Goedert’s replacement.
Their first chance coming in Round 2 at pick 64 in the form of Bowling Green’s Harold Fannin Jr. Instead of taking the FBS record-breaker for receptions (117) and receiving yards (1,555), Roseman called out the name of Andrew Mukuba, a ball-hawking, run-stopping safety who has drawn comparisons to Julian Blackmon.
Their next best opportunity came in Round 5 at pick 165 when Syracuse’s Oronde Gadsden II was sitting free, Instead of taking the best tight end in Syracuse history, Roseman decided to punt the pick to the Los Angeles Chargers. They traded up and promptly selected Gadsden. Meanwhile, the Eagles moved three spots down and chose Boston College center Drew Kendall. All in a day’s work.
“I would say I don’t find it hard to trade during the draft with teams,” Roseman said. “I think our phone’s ringing all the time. We’re talking to a lot of teams.”
For three days in Green Bay, every half-decent tight end on the board had been linked to Philadelphia. Yet, the Eagles never saw one that reflected the grades to justify the pick. They didn’t draft a single tight end.
“Just trying to be as true as we could to the board,” Roseman told reporters, when asked why he didn’t pick a tight end. “Every time that we had the opportunity to pick, we were looking at the board and really trying to reflect what that worked to put those grades in really should be reflected in the outcome, so we didn’t want to kind of drop down at some points. There were some points where it was close, but it was never at the time we were selecting the best player.”
It should be noted the Eagles extended a rookie minicamp invite to Houston’s Maliq Carr. The 6-foot-6, 260-pounder was scouted more as a run blocker than a pass catcher, although he can work the seams in traffic. It wouldn’t be a shock to see another tight end prospect join them as an undrafted rookie free agent.
Howie Roseman Details Future Plans for Dallas Goedert
There has been much speculation as to the future of Dallas Goedert. The Super Bowl champion has dodged trade rumors throughout the offseason, including an ESPN report that cited Goedert’s “age (30), injury history and average salary of $14 million per season” as reasons for a divorce.
When asked specifically about Goedert’s situation, Eagles GM Howie Roseman stayed on script and refused to fan the trade flames.
“Dallas is part of the team as we speak,” Roseman said. “Obviously, as we go forward, we’re going to continue to address things on this team and right now nothing further.”
Goedert missed seven games during the 2024 campaign while dealing with knee and hamstring injuries. He has now played in only 36 out of a possible 51 games since 2022. Making matters worse, at least from a leveraging standpoint in contract negotiations, Goedert has never earned a Pro Bowl nod.
Even more telling is what the Eagles did in free agency. They handed veteran tight end Harrison Bryant a one-year, $1.2 million deal, then inked Kylen Granson to a one-year, $1.75 million contract. They also have Grant Calcaterra on the last year of his rookie deal to round out the depth chart. It’s not a terribly experienced room, but it’s oozing with cheap contracts. That patch-work quilt of safety blankets might be good enough.
Then again, don’t rule out Goedert being the Week 1 starter. Roseman heaped a ton of praise on the one-time apprentice to Zach Ertz, leaving the idea of him returning for his eighth season in midnight green sticking out there like a thick olive branch.
“Dallas is a heck of a player – a heck of a player, a heck of a person,” Roseman said. “Certainly don’t want to do anything publicly where we’re discussing anyone’s business, but I have so much respect for him. Been to two Super Bowls together and obviously would love him on this team. You always love having Dallas on this team, but we’re not there right now on any of that. But, love Dallas Goedert.”
One more log to float down the river: what if the Eagles traded for somebody? Philly Sports Network’s Anthony DiBona mentioned Cole Kmet of the Chicago Bears. Another name to watch would be Michael Mayer of the Las Vegas Raiders. It’ll be interesting to see how everything plays out at the tight end spot.
Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
