Dallas Goedert didn’t spend the offseason shopping for a new home. He had chances to move on, but he stayed put, signing a one-year deal to return to Philadelphia for his ninth NFL season. And with the Eagles reshuffling their offense, he looks like one of the most important pieces they’ve got.
At 31, Goedert just turned in a strong healthy season. He appeared in 15 games and finished with 60 catches for 591 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Those numbers already made him a major weapon. The setup around him could make him even more central in 2026.
The biggest change is obvious: the Eagles traded away A.J. Brown, which leaves DeVonta Smith and Goedert as the top two remaining targets. Philadelphia also hired a new offensive coordinator in Sean Mannion, and the expectation is that his scheme will lean heavily on tight ends.
Goedert has already been studying what that can look like. This offseason, he said he watched George Kittle and Tucker Kraft, two tight ends who have flourished in a Shanahan system.
“You can only do so much on offense but a lot of the key emphases are a little different,” Goedert said this spring. “I feel like through watching what he wants to happen, there’s a lot of easy touches to the tight end, getting the ball in space, scheming ways to get us open.
So I’m excited for that. I think the tight end is kind of a backbone of the offense in the run game, play-action, pass game.
I think it’ll be a really good system to play in.”
The Eagles did draft Eli Stowers in the second round in April, but he’s likely to need time before becoming a steady NFL contributor. They also added Johnny Mundt in free agency, though Mundt looks more like a blocking tight end.
That leaves plenty of room for Goedert to keep drawing targets from Jalen Hurts. He saw 82 targets last season, up from 52 in 10 games the year before, and there’s a real path to another heavy workload.
His blocking in the run game apparently wasn’t quite at the standard he’d set in previous years in 2025, but he still remained a dangerous pass-catching threat. The red zone production stood out most. His 11 touchdown catches last season set a franchise record.
There’s a chance this is his final season in Philadelphia, particularly if Stowers develops into the tight end of the future. But this isn’t a goodbye tour. The Eagles need Goedert to deliver at a high level right now.
“Being able to play here for 8 years, we’ve put a lot of good runs together, been able to do special things,” Goedert said. “I feel like playing in an organization like the Eagles is special and I think we can do special things this year.
I didn’t want to leave and not be part of it. Ultimately, I chose to come back and hopefully put another great year together.”
In Other News...
Eagles Rookie Is Suddenly Part Of A Much Bigger Conversation
When the Eagles used a second-round pick on tight end Eli Stowers in the 2026 NFL Draft, they were betting on more than just a future replacement for Dallas Goedert. The Vanderbilt product arrived with the kind of college rsum that makes evaluators lean in, and he brings the athletic profile to hint at a different layer to Philadelphias offense. For a team that has long valued tight end versatility, Stowers was always going to be more than a developmental name on the back end of the roster.
Early offseason work has not produced much buzz around him, which is part of what makes the next phase so interesting. If Stowers starts to match the expectations that come with his draft slot and college acclaim, he could do more than settle into the depth chart. He could push for a larger role and eventually alter how the Eagles think about the position altogether. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Defense Is Headed For A Payday Philadelphia Can't Fully Avoid
The Eagles have built one of the leagues most talented defensive groups, and the tricky part now is figuring out how long they can keep it together. A wave of young contributors is either already extension eligible or moving toward that window, which means Philadelphia is staring at the kind of roster math every contender eventually faces: reward the homegrown core, or watch the price climb faster than the salary cap can comfortably handle.
Quinyon Mitchell is still a step away from his next contract, but the expectation around him is already obvious, while Cooper DeJean is in the same conversation even before he reaches that stage. Add in the possibility of Kelee Ringo, Moro Ojomo and Tyler Steen making themselves more expensive with another strong run, and the Eagles can see the payday coming from a distance. The challenge is less about identifying the talent than deciding which pieces they can realistically afford to keep when the market starts doing what the market always does. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Draft Pick Is Running Out Of Chances This Camp
Grant Calcaterra is heading into another training camp with his place on the roster anything but secure. The Eagles drafted the tight end in 2022, and while he has spent most of his time as a backup, he did get his most meaningful chance in 2024 when injuries pushed him into a larger role. Even then, the path forward has only gotten narrower with the depth chart around him looking more crowded and more competitive.
Johnny Mundt has emerged as the more comfortable fit for the moment, giving Philadelphia a steadier option in the blocking game and a player who already knows Sean Mannions offense. Calcaterra will have to prove he can hold up in the same areas that have drawn concern before the final roster picture comes into focus, and with so few spots available at tight end, every practice rep matters. [Read more 🡒]