In March, a month after the Eagles won the Super Bowl, it appeared that their postseason leader in catches and receiving yards wouldn't be back in 2025.
Despite catching more passes and having more receiving yards in the playoffs than A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, veteran tight end Dallas Goedert appeared primed to become another victim of the team's offseason purse-tightening that had resulted in the free-agent departures of Josh Sweat, Milton Williams, Isaiah Rodgers and others.
Goedert had missed seven games in the regular season and caught just two touchdowns, the fewest of his seven-year career. His initial 2025 price tag of about $14 million didn't mesh with the team's plan to cut spending for the upcoming season.
Goedert was on the trading block, and after a few weeks of uncertainty leading into the NFL Draft, he finally agreed to a paycut to stay with the team for one more season.
Fast forward to eight games through this year, and either coincidentally or ironically or both, Goedert has been the team's best touchdown producer and a spark plug for an erratic pass offense that has battled throes of inconsistency.
Not surprisingly, Goedert caught two more touchdowns in Sunday's 38-20 win over the Giants that marked the offense's most consistent showing of the season. Goedert now has seven touchdown catches – a career best, two more touchdowns than his past two seasons combined, and about 23 percent of his career total.
Almost halfway through the season, Goedert is actually tied for the NFL lead in touchdown catches with Lions star wide receiver Amon Ra-St. Brown. He's one of three NFL tight ends who have at least six touchdown catches, with Tucker Kraft (Packers) and Jake Ferguson (Cowboys) right behind him with six.
Sunday, after all, was the annual "National Tight Ends Day" across the league.
"Yeah, that might have been a reason they tried to get me the ball in the red zone a little bit more," Goedert joked. "You always want to on National Tight End Day. You don't want your tight end not to be highlighted when they talk about this incredible holiday we get to enjoy."
For sure, as Kraft caught two on prime time Sunday night against the Steelers. The unofficial holiday founder, six-time Pro Bowler George Kittle of the 49ers, also caught a touchdown Sunday, as did premier tight ends Hunter Henry (Patriots) and David N'joku (Browns), along with upstart standout rookie Harold Fannin Jr. (Browns).
Without A.J. Brown, the Eagles needed Goedert's dependable hands and versatility, especially in the red zone.
After the Giants scored a touchdown to narrow the Eagles' lead to 14-10, Goedert capped the ensuing drive by catching a slant from Jalen Hurts around the 1-yard line and then falling into the end zone for the 6-yard touchdown. Goedert later slipped open on an RPO the Eagles have shown before, except instead of catching the ball in the flat, he caught the linebacker off guard with a vertical move to the end zone, where he reeled in another pass from Hurts for a 17-yard score.
"I think he's a hell of a player," Hurts said, and then repeated it for emphasis. "He's a big-time target and in the sense he's due, he's due. He does a lot of dirty work in this offense. And we've had a lot of different opportunities that we've always had within, I guess Nick [Sirianni] and the OCs that have come over time that just haven't got called.
"So some of those things are getting called and he's taking advantage of those opportunities and I think [offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo] has a really good feel in the red zone.”
The Eagles needed it, with Brown sidelined and with a rushing attack finally giving the Eagles a complement to their play-action pass game – which, by the way, Goedert is also a major component of because of his blocking acumen.
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For all the criticism Patullo has taken in his first season as the play caller, his red-zone schemes have been effective and innovative, and centered on Goedert's versatility.
Six of Goedert's seven touchdowns have come in the red zone, including a flip from Hurts from a Tush Push formation Week 3 against Tampa Bay, followed by a newly implemented shovel pass from Hurts later against the Bucs for another touchdown.
This beauty in the Week 6 loss to the Giants might have been the most creative Goedert touchdown to date:
Goedert said Patullo's tinkering with the red-zone offense has led to more opportunities for him, which has led to more success.
"Our red zone philosophy has changed this year," he said, careful not to give too much detail. "We've done different things. It seems like when someone gets hot with a touchdown streak – I had four games in a row [from Weeks 3-6], didn't get one last week – but when you keep scoring, they just want to find different ways to keep that streak alive, and it's been working."
The Eagles have the NFL's highest red-zone touchdown percentage, at 85 percent, with 17 touchdowns in 20 attempts. They haven't gotten into the red zone nearly as much as other NFL teams, ranking just 26th in plays inside the opposing 20-yard line, but their high touchdown rate has helped them compensate for a struggling third-down offense.
Goedert's six red-zone touchdowns account for more than 33 percent of the team's total red-zone touchdowns. He almost moved into a third-place tie with Brent Celek for third-most touchdowns by a tight end in Eagles history with 31, behind Pete Retzlaff (47) and his former teammate Zach Ertz (38).
And to think there was a realistic scenario in which Goedert wasn't even going to be in an Eagles uniform this season, or that he might finish with double-digit touchdowns this year and have the best season of his career and not return in 2026.
"I've just been enjoying this season, not worried about the future," he said. "Just trying to be where my feet are, enjoying it with the guys. We've got an incredible group. So many people I've got respect for in this building. Just trying to keep building on a good year."
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