With the afterglow of a Super Bowl LIX celebration having dimmed, the Philadelphia Eagles have had to return to the business of roster building.
Among the chief questions is the uncertain future of tight end Dallas Goedert, who's been a constant for the squad over seven successful seasons but is entering the final year of a lucrative contract.
Goedert's uncertainty won't affect how the Eagles approach the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft, however. At least not according to general manager Howie Roseman.
"The way we look at the draft is it's a separate entity to anything else that's going on," Roseman told reporters Tuesday, via team transcript, when asked about Goedert's status and its effect on the draft. "We've got to make good decisions in the draft based on who the players are that are available in the draft. We can't make up any positions and make them better than they're not. We have to really have a true process.
"So, it really doesn't affect us."
Goedert, 30, was a 2018 NFL Draft second-round selection of the Eagles who's been a prominent presence on the roster ever since. He's entering the final season of a four-year, $57 million contract with no guaranteed money due and an $11.7 million cap number. Cutting or trading Goedert prior to June 1 would cost $9.5 million against the cap, while post-June 1 moves would save $4.1 million.
NFL Network Insider Mike Garafolo reported on March 31 that Goedert wasn't a player Philly was looking to dump, but posed a difficult financial decision. He added Goedert was someone to watch as it got closer to the draft, which is now just more than a week away.
Goedert posted 42 receptions for 496 yards and two touchdowns in 2024, with the TDs a career low and the catches and yards the lowest since his rookie season. He played just 10 games as he dealt with hamstring and knee issues.
So, as he enters his age-30 season, the numbers make sense for the Eagles to move on.
Thus, regardless of Roseman saying Goedert's situation doesn't affect the Eagles' draft approach, it's obvious to wonder if Philly won't swoop in on a tight end.
Sitting at No. 32 in the first round, the Eagles are unlikely to have a shot at Penn State's Tyler Warren if they stay put and Michigan TE Colston Loveland could be a stretch, as well. There is depth at the position, though, with Bowling Green's Harold Fannin Jr., Miami's Elijah Arroyo and LSU's Mason Taylor among the options beyond the opening round.
"Certainly, when we talk about how the class looks, it all depends on who's there when you're picking," Roseman said. "So, we've been in situations where we think it's a really good class at a certain position and then when we're picking, it just hasn't worked out that the caliber players met the value of the pick. So, I think that that's how we kind of judge the class is wherever we're picking, what's the caliber of player at that point in time."
The Eagles have already added free agents Harrison Bryant and Kylen Granson, and 2022 sixth-round choice Grant Calcaterra is entering his fourth season with the team after starting 13 games in 2024.
"We try to do as much as we can at any position in free agency to try to make sure that we're not in a position where there are needs," Roseman said. "Of course, we're not a perfect team and there's always going to be areas that we're looking to improve, and honestly, that's going to happen even the day after the draft."
History would suggest that if the Eagles move on from Goedert that his replacement -- if it's not Calcaterra -- would be found in the draft. That's where Philadelphia got Goedert to eventually succeed Zach Ertz, who was a second-round find by Roseman in 2013 and replaced Brent Celek, a draftee of the previous regime.
"I think for us, I've been very fortunate to have the caliber of tight end play that we've had here," Roseman said. "When I first became GM, Brent Celek, obviously an unbelievable player, then to Zach Ertz, then to Dallas Goedert. Three really unbelievable players and people that we've had here.
"So, we've been very fortunate with the caliber of tight end play. I mean you mentioned Grant and obviously we all see the strides that he took last year as well. So, it's got to be based on the board that we have and the value in the draft and we will stack it based on not needs, but based on the value of the players in this draft and this class."
Goedert was part of the Eagles' 2018 draft class and a starter in each of the team's four playoff games en route to a Super Bowl title last season. His future with the club is most uncertain, though, and just how it plays out could come next week in Green Bay, Wisconsin at the draft.
