The Eagles ended up making a choice that tells you plenty about how they view their tight end room: they kept four on the initial 53-man roster, and E.J. Jenkins beat out Cam Latu for the final spot.
That decision wasn’t exactly the expected one when camp opened, because keeping Jenkins over Latu meant Philadelphia was carrying an extra tight end on the roster. But that’s where the Eagles landed, with Latu released on Sunday evening and then claimed by the New England Patriots on Monday afternoon.
Neither player was a major factor on offense last season. Latu spent most of his time on special teams, where he handled 65 percent of the snaps.
Jenkins was in a similar lane, playing 61 percent of the special teams snaps. What separated them in this camp, though, was how they looked in the finer points of the position.
Jenkins caught the ball better. He was stronger as a run blocker.
He also graded out better in pass protection. Those edges mattered, and they helped him win a spot in a crowded room.
There’s also the kind of developmental arc general manager Howie Roseman clearly values. Jenkins began his college career as a receiver at St.
Francis in Loretto, PA, then transferred to South Carolina before finishing at Georgia Tech. He didn’t arrive at tight end until late, which only adds to the appeal in Philadelphia’s eyes.
“E.J. is a great story,” the GM said. “When you talk about a receiver at Georgia Tech who transformed his body, he's 260 pounds, he's 6-6, he's got 34-inch arms.
You see in this league where the position is going, where it's trending. A lot of similar offensive systems to some of the things that we're running where these wide tight ends, they're highly valued in free agency, they're highly valued in the draft.
“For us to be able to develop E.J. and his skillset, which as a former receiver has really not only turned to, obviously he's a big target in the passing game, but a point of attack player. His pass protection - when we went over his pass protection, it is really, really good to have a tight end who's able to pass protect like he is and then in the run game be able to help.
“It's just being highly valued, and he contributed on special teams. Just E.J.'s body of work over time … great developmental story for our organization, for the people who develop players, and really just excited about the role that he can have on this football team.”
Philadelphia last carried four tight ends on its initial 53-man roster in 2023, when the group was Dallas Goedert, Grant Calcaterra, Jack Stoll, and Albert Okwuegbunam. This year, the four are Goedert, Johnny Mundt, Eli Stowers, and Jenkins.
Of course, nothing about a roster spot in late August is permanent. A player can make the 53 and still end up on the practice squad soon after, just like Gabe Hall did last year. Hall made the roster, was released 12 days later, and is now back on the practice squad this season.
So Jenkins may have only bought himself a little time. Or he may have done enough to stay in the picture longer. There’s also the possibility that the Eagles could still add Zach Ertz in free agency, with reports indicating interest in the veteran tight end, who is nine months into his rehab from the ACL tear he suffered while playing for the Commanders last year.
“What an unbelievable player, what an unbelievable person, tremendous respect for him,” he said. “At the same time, love what we have going in our tight end room, too. I would say, have talked to Zach over a period of time, obviously rehabbing his ACL and the relationship, just like a lot of our former players who've been here.
“But like anything else, wouldn't get into any conversations about anything other than from a big- picture perspective. In my opinion, one of the greatest tight ends to play the game, and just tremendous respect for him, and also excited about the tight ends that we have here.”
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