Grant Calcaterra on Thursday night didn’t have a single catch, he didn’t see a single target.
But he still made the most important play of the game.
With the Eagles clinging to a two-point lead at the Linc, Dallas Goedert had a catch-and-run that went for 32 yards but he fumbled the ball in Washington territory. Calcaterra came out of nowhere and fell on the football.
Phew.
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“Man, I owe him a lot,” Goedert said. “I know if we don’t recover that one and end up losing the game, it’s going to be a tough weekend for me. That’s for sure.”
But Calcaterra did recover it and three plays later, Saquon Barkley was off to the races for a 23-yard touchdown to put the Eagles up two scores in their eventual 26-18 win in a huge division matchup.
What did Goedert say to Calcaterra on the field?
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“He said, ‘How much money do you want?’” Calcaterra said. “I said, ‘a million dollars.’ He said, ‘deal.’”
But a thank you and a pat on the back will have to do.
“He ain’t sending me s—,” Calcaterra said. “He’s grateful, you know. But that’s what good teams do. We’re taught to chase after the ball and go block. I just happened to be in the right spot, right time.”
That play from Calcaterra is the kind of play that Nick Sirianni will surely highlight in front of the entire team. Calcaterra started on the other side of the line and followed up looking for a block.
Calcaterra went a long way to recover that football and if he doesn’t, there were a lot of burgundy and gold jerseys around it.
“Coach always points out plays like that, where guys are doing things that aren’t necessarily noticed by everybody else,” Calcaterra said. “So yeah, it’ll be noticed.”
“Good things happen when you get to the football,” Sirianni said. “We talk about that on defense. We talk about that on offense. When you're hustling to the football, getting to the football, playing with relentless effort, good things happen.”
After missing three games with a hamstring injury, Goedert has been back for the last two and has seen 8 targets for 7 catches and 86 yards against the Cowboys and Commanders. But because of his return, Calcaterra’s targets have dried up. He has just one target and no catches in the last two after he had become a big part of the offense during Goedert’s absence.
But this play on Thursday was a way for Calcaterra to make an impact without being in the game plan.
“Yeah, that's crucial,” quarterback Jalen Hurts said. “You know, we talk about effort, we talk about flying to the ball. And honestly, the No. 1 thing that's been killing us is flipping and finding. And flipping and finding if you don't have the ball in your hands. So obviously, Dallas makes that catch, and he tries to go get some YAC, and it's the guy you don't see. And I know he's wishing he would’ve had better ball security there. But why do you flip and find? Why are you in pursuit of the ball offensively and defensively? Because you never know what can happen. You want to be there. So, good things always happen when you fly to the ball and get to the ball, and it's a crucial moment in the game, for sure.
“That was able to extend our drive. I think it’s a great example of effort, finishing the play. You talk about roles, Grant is – I think I said this already – one of the most selfless guys on the team with his role. And you know, it looks different. You know, he popped off for a little bit in absence of Dallas, and now he makes one of the most underrated plays of the game, and being able to recover that fumble, extend the drive and have the opportunity to give it to Saquon a couple more times, so it's a big play.”
For the first two years of his career, Calcaterra was the Eagles’ third tight end behind Goedert and Jack Stoll but he was elevated to TE2 this season and he’s done a nice job.
Calcaterra has shown the ability to produce as a receiver. And on Thursday, he showed he’s going to play with effort even if the ball isn’t coming his way.
“I just care about winning,” he said. “I could care less if I get balls thrown my way. Whenever I’m out there, I’m just trying to do my best to help the team win.”
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