Sometimes it’s OK to say the obvious thing out loud. In this case, the obvious thing is that when it comes to Philadelphia Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert, availability has been an issue.
That’s why Bleacher Report’s Matt Holder thinks the Eagles will pursue New York Jets tight end Tyler Conklin in free agency following the season, despite Goedert still due $14.25 million in 2025 in the final season of the 4-year, $57 million contract extension he signed in March 2021.
Goedert has already missed 3 games due to injuries in 2024, matching his total from the 2023 season. Goedert has now missed 18 games due to injuries over the last 5 seasons, with half of the 2024 season still left to play.
“Tight end may not be Philadelphia’s biggest need this offseason, but Jack Stoll is an impending free agent and Dallas Goedert has battled injuries over the last few years,” Holder wrote. “In other words, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to invest in a quality backup at the position. Conklin has been a productive pass-catcher over the last four seasons with over 2,000 receiving yards during that timeframe heading into this weekend. Worst case, he and Goedert could add some 12 personnel packages … “
While Holder suggests a world where both Goedert and Conklin could exist on the same roster, that might not be practical. It’s hard to envision the Eagles paying a collective $20 million-plus in annual salary for tight ends even if it’s just for 1 season.
Conklin Putting up Good Numbers on Bad Teams
Conklin, 6-foot-3 and 254 pounds, switched from college basketball to college football after his freshman year and turned himself into an NFL draft pick at Central Michigan. He capped his college career with a standout performance at the Senior Bowl catching passes from Wyoming star and future Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen — good enough that the Minnesota Vikings selected him in the fifth round (No. 157 overall) of the 2018 NFL draft.
Conklin had a breakout season with the Vikings in 2021 with 61 receptions for 493 yards and 3 touchdowns and parlayed that into a 3-year, $20.25 million contract with the Jets in March 2022.
Conklin has played some really good football for some really bad teams since then. He’s on pace for his fourth consecutive season with at least 50 receptions and 500 receiving yards in 2024.
Unfortunately for Conklin, the Jets are 17-27 since he joined the team and the franchise seems destined for a massive rebuild after the 2024 season.
Eagles On Amazing Run of Elite Tight Ends
The Eagles are also on an amazing run of tight ends, with 3-time Pro Bowler and current Washington Commanders tight end Zach Ertz part of their great run through the late 2010s, including their Super Bowl win following the 2017 season.
Even though Goedert has dealt with injury issues throughout his career, when he’s healthy it’s hard to argue he’s not one of the NFL’s best at his position.
While Goedert hasn’t made a Pro Bowl in his career, he probably should have at this point. He’s had over 500 receiving yards in each of the last 3 seasons and had a career highs of 830 receiving yards and 14.8 yards per catch in 2021 to go with 4 touchdowns and had 55 receptions for 702 yards and 3 touchdowns in 2022 despite missing 5 games — had he played the complete season it would have been pretty easy to envision him going over the 1,000-yard mark.
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