Eagles Stay or Go 2024: Time to upgrade at backup TE spots?

Reuben Frank and Dave Zangaro bring back Stay or Go in 2024, trying to figure out the futures of every Eagles player on the roster.

We already looked at quarterback, running back and receiver.

Up today: Tight end

Grant Calcaterra

Roob: Calcaterra is OK. Good size and can run. But he’s a receiving tight end who’s got nine catches in two seasons. Kellen Moore loves playing 12 personnel, and you don’t have to have two big-time receiving tight ends to play 12 but it sure helps. There’s no question the Eagles need to upgrade tight end behind Dallas Goedert, and that means you can’t keep both Calcaterra and Jack Stoll. Stoll played 38 percent of the offensive snaps this year and Calcaterra played 12 percent. That speaks volumes.

Verdict: Goes

Dave: This was a tricky one for me. The Eagles had the same three tight ends in 2023 as they did in 2022 but I can’t imagine them running it back again in 2024. That means that either just Calcaterra or Jack Stoll will be back and I think it’s more likely Calcaterra will be gone. This could be an opportunity for the Eagles to draft another tight end to be the No. 2 or No. 3 behind Goedert and Stoll this season. If that happens, the the former sixth-round pick Calcaterra is the odd man out.

Verdict: Goes

Dallas Goedert

Roob: This was a tough year for Goedert — his 42 yards per game were his lowest since his rookie year, when he was backing up a tight end who caught 116 passes — and he’s now 29 years old, and you wonder if his drop in production was just due to some injuries and a dysfunctional offense or whether we’re seeing the start of a career decline. I still believe in Goedert and there’s no reason to think he can’t regain his form of 2019 through 2022, when he was a top-5 tight end. The Eagles do need to start thinking about his successor soon, but I expect a big bounce-back season from Goedert in 2024.

Verdict: Stays

Dave: It was a disappointing season for Goedert even aside from the injury that cost him three games. Goedert just simply wasn’t as big a part of the offense in 2023 as he was the previous season and his yards-per-catch average dropped rom 12.8 in 2022 to 10.0 in 2023. That’s a significant drop-off and the lowest YPC of Goedert’s six-year NFL career. Many expected Goedert to become a Pro Bowler this season and it just didn’t happen, which was surprising given how good he looked in training camp and how often Jalen Hurts looked his way in the summer. Goedert is 29 already but is under contract through the 2025 season and will definitely be back in 2024.

Verdict: Stays

Albert Okwuegbunam

Roob: I’ll remember Albert O as the guy the Eagles mistakenly kept around on the 53-man roster when they released linebacker Christian Ellis, who they then lost on waivers to the Patriots. Okwuegbunam played 57 snaps on offense over four games and had one target and no catches. Why did they keep him? I have no idea. Will they keep him in 2024? No way.

Verdict: Goes

Dave: There were a lot bigger problems than this in the 2023 season but I still really don’t understand the Albert O thing. I don’t understand why the Eagles traded for him. I don’t understand why they kept him on the roster for most of the season. I can’t imagine him being on the roster in 2024 but, then again, I didn’t understand his presence in the first place.

Verdict: Goes

Jack Stoll

Roob: He’s an interesting one. Nick Sirianni clearly likes Stoll, who’s a capable blocker but has only 20 catches in three seasons. He’s played over 1,300 snaps the last three years, which tells you a lot. But this is Kellen Moore’s offense now and I don't see how Stoll can have that extensive a role moving forward. I just think this is a position Howie Roseman has to address this offseason. Stoll may survive as a third tight end, but I don’t think it’s a lock.

Verdict: Goes

Dave: The Eagles like Stoll way more than people realize. Now, you can question whether or not they should. But Stoll has played 1,343 offensive snaps in his three-year Eagles career. He’s played in 50 games and started 26. And he has just 20 catches for 183 yards. But the Eagles like Stoll as a blocker and I think he’ll be back. Stoll is a restricted free agent this offseason. I don’t think the Eagles will tender him but I do think they’ll reach a deal to bring him back on a one-year contract.

Verdict: Stays

Noah Togiai

Roob: Togiai is a guy who’s been around for parts of the last four seasons, with stops with the Colts, Raiders and Cards in between. There’s clearly something Roseman and Sirianni like about Togiai, who actually played for Sirianni in Indy in 2020. But generally when a guy has no receptions in three years and will be 27 when training camp starts, he’s not the sort of piece you build around. He might be on the practice squad for another decade but that’s about it.

Verdict: Goes

Dave: A favorite of the Eagle Eye podcast, Togiai has had a few different stints with the Eagles. Over the last three seasons, he has seen action in four games with the Eagles but hasn’t been consistently on the roster. He’s someone who might stick around again on the practice squad but the 53-man roster doesn’t seem like a good bet.

Verdict: Goes

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