Sirianni gives hope that Goedert could return sooner than expected

The Eagles have not put Dallas Goedert on Injured Reserve. That appears to be significant.

Head coach Nick Sirianni said as much on Saturday.

“We have high hopes that Dallas is going to be back,” Sirianni said. “Again, I don’t know when. I think that’s unfair to Dallas. But, yeah, there’s a reason he’s not on IR yet.”

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The implication here is that the Eagles believe Goedert could return within the next four weeks. If the Eagles were to put Goedert on IR, he would be forced to miss the next four games.

But now it appears that Goedert, 28, could be back within the next month from a fractured forearm he suffered against the Cowboys on Nov. 5.

Since Goedert broke his arm before the bye, he had an extra week to heal that would not have been covered during an IR stint, which forces you to miss a minimum of four games, not four weeks.

As a reminder, here’s a look at the Eagles’ next four games:

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Nov. 20: Week 11 at Chiefs

Nov. 26: Week 12 vs. Bills

Dec. 3: Week 13 vs. 49ers

Dec. 10: Week 14 at Cowboys

There is no guarantee that Goedert returns within that four-game span but given his importance to the offense, it’s worth the shot. Even if there’s a, say, 25% chance of Goedert returning for one of those super important and tough games in early December against the 49ers and Cowboys, it’ll be worth a roster spot over the next month. Goedert is a very important part of this offense.

In the meantime, the Eagles will be without Goedert and will have to rely on several other players to fill the void. At tight end, Jack Stoll, Grant Calcaterra and Albert Okwuegbunam will all be pushed up the depth chart. But the Eagles will also rely on their receivers and running backs to take over some of the targets that would have gone to Goedert in the passing game.

While Goedert’s numbers this season haven’t been gaudy, he has been playing well. Through nine games, Goedert has 38 catches for 410 yards and 2 touchdowns and has been a force as a blocker in the run game.

This week, Goedert has been a spectator at practice.