Eagles activate Dallas Goedert, return vs. Cowboys likely originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Eagles on Tuesday morning activated Dallas Goedert from Injured Reserve to the 53-man roster, clearing the way for his return after a five-game layoff.
Goedert suffered a small fracture in the glenoid bone in his left shoulder during the Eagles’ only loss this year, against the Commanders on Nov. 14. He went on Injured Reserve two days later.
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The Eagles opened his 21-day practice window last Wednesday, and Goedert seemed hopeful he’d be able to play vs. the Bears. But in a bit of a surprise the Eagles didn’t activate him for the Bears, giving him one more week to heal.
MORE: Nick Sirianni gives update on Jalen Hurts’ shoulder injury
The Eagles are scheduled to practice Tuesday through Thursday this week before traveling to Dallas.
Gardner Minshew is expected to start at quarterback for the Eagles in place of injured Jalen Hurts. In the one game Goedert played with Minshew, he had six catches for 105 yards and two touchdowns last year in a 33-18 win over the Jets last December in East Rutherford.
Goedert, the Eagles’ 5th-year tight end, was having a career year when he got hurt. Despite missing five games, he still ranks 8th among all NFL tight ends with 544 receiving yards and 3rd among NFC tight ends, behind only T.J. Hockenson (730) and George Kittle (593).
The Eagles went 5-0 in Goedert’s absence and ranked second in the NFL with 33.0 points per game and second with 425 yards per game.
With Goedert out, Jack Stoll started at tight end and his snap count increased from 27 to 45 per game. He caught seven passes for 74 yards in the five games and is 11-for-123 this year.
Rookie Grant Calcaterra, who averaged 8 snaps per game before Goedert’s injury, averaged 28 the last five games and was 4-for-41 receiving. He’s 5-for-81 this year.
Tyree Jackson also got some playing time as the third tight end with his first 34 snaps this year over the last five games.
Goedert has 236 catches for 2,839 yards and 19 touchdowns in his first five seasons. Zach Ertz is the only tight end in Eagles history with more receiving yards in his first five years (3,664).
Despite Goedert’s numbers, his Pro Bowl chances appear slim because the NFL does not list players on Injured Reserve on the Pro Bowl ballot. The Pro Bowl teams will be announced Wednesday.
The Eagles’ roster was at 52 after they placed punter Arryn Siposs on Injured Reserve last Tuesday, so they didn’t have to make a corresponding move to make room for Goedert.
