The Eagles Have an Important Decision Looming in Two Years
While the Eagles have not had a 1,000-yard wide receiver since Jeremy Maclin in 2014, they’ve made up for it by keeping two elite tight ends on the roster in Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert.
Ertz had himself his first 1,000-yard season in 2018 and Goedert, who although has been in Ertz’s shadow since his draft selection, is just as gifted and is even a better blocker than Ertz.
Photo: Yong Kim/Philadelphia Inquirer
The offense has enjoyed great success with the presence of the tight end duo, as Ertz and Goedert have accounted for 2,079 yards and 23 touchdowns for the past two years. Unfortunately, though, their continued presence will cost a hefty price, in the form of cap space. Both tight ends are scheduled to come off the books in 2022, with Ertz finishing his 5-year extension and Goedert’s rookie deal expiring.
At that time, Howie Roseman and the front office will have to make an inevitability tough decision – does the team retain both players or just one, and if just one, who?
Before taking into account the value of either player, consider these numbers. This past offseason, TE Austin Hooper inked a deal with the Browns for 4 years/$42 million. His deal made him the highest-paid NFL tight end ever, at roughly $10.5 million a year, and $23 million guaranteed. Hooper’s highest production is also only 75 receptions for 787 yards and 6 touchdowns.
Although he has never been the number 1 target on an offense that was cluttered with high caliber wideouts, Hooper’s numbers are still far inferior to Zach Ertz’s, who hasn’t had a season with less than 850 yards since 2014.
Dallas Goedert, only in his sophomore year, fell 17 receptions and 180 yards shy of Hooper, and that too as a backup. This means that if Ertz maintains his level of excellence, and Goedert continues to trend in the right direction, they will both be seeking contracts far north of what Hooper was paid.
At the end of his contract, Ertz will have turned 31, while Goedert will be 27 and just hitting his prime. There’s no doubt that Ertz should be an Eagle for life, but if there’s someone younger and equally talented, why not take him?
Goedert has proven to be more productive with YAC (yards after catch) as well as a better blocker. Ertz has always provided that catch when the offense most needed it, but it would be a crime for the Eagles to not let Goedert take over the starting role.
So, the question you need to be asking yourself if you’re Howie Roseman in 2 years is, exactly how much cap space do you want dedicated to the tight end spot?
And if you’ve already decided that you’re going to keep just one, do you consider trading the other?
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Categorized:Eagles