Philadelphia Eagles TE Dallas Goedert Heads to IR with Shoulder Injury

Posted on: November 16, 2022, 12:35h. 

Last updated on: November 16, 2022, 06:55h.

The Philadelphia Eagles finally lost their first game of the season during a 32-21 upset by the Washington Commanders on “Monday Night Football.” They also incurred a bad beat when tight end Dallas Goedert suffered a serious left shoulder injury during a controversial play.

Dallas Goedert TE shoulder injury Philadelphia Eagles face mask controversial Commanders
Philadelphia Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert has his face mask grabbed by Washington Commanders’ linebacker Jamin Davis in the fourth quarter of a Monday Night Football at Lincoln Financial Field.  (Image: AP)

The Eagles have yet to say how long Goedert will miss time because of his shoulder injury, but he’s landed on the IR for at least four weeks.

Before his injury against the Commanders, Goedert caught three passes for 23 yards, including a touchdown. He had scored touchdowns in consecutive games. In Week 9, the Eagles beat the Houston Texans on “Thursday Night Football.” Goedert posted his best season game with eight catches for 100 yards and one touchdown.

Despite the NFC East divisional loss to the Commanders, the Eagles still hold the best record in the NFL at 8-1. During the previous three weeks, the Eagles were +500 odds to win Super Bowl LVII as second-favorite on the board behind the consensus favorite Buffalo Bills.

After the Eagles lost in Week 10, their odds slipped to +600, and they’re now the third favorite on DraftKings’ futures board. They’re trailing the Bills at +400 odds and the Kansas City Chiefs at +500 odds.

Goedert on Verge of a Spectacular Year

In nine games with the Eagles this season, Goedert caught 43 passes for 544 yards and three touchdowns. He averaged 12.6 yards per catch.

Goedert was on pace to break his career-high of five touchdowns set in 2019. He was also on a path to set career numbers in receptions and receiving yards.

Goedert is in his fifth season with the Eagles after they drafted the tight end out of South Dakota State with a second-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. In 66 career games with the Eagles, Goedert caught 236 passes for 2,839 yards and 19 touchdowns.

Goedert has become an integral part of the Eagles’ offense this season as Jalen Hurts’ second-favorite target. Only standout wide receiver AJ Brown caught more passes (44), yards (725), and touchdowns (6) than Goedert. With three touchdown receptions, Goedert was tied for second on the team in receiving touchdowns with wide receiver DeVonta Smith.

With Goedert out for at least a month, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni has no choice but to rely on a trio of inexperienced backup tight ends.

Jack Stoll, a second-year player from Nebraska, caught only four passes for 49 yards and zero touchdowns this season as Goedert’s backup. Tyree Jackson, a second-year player from Buffalo, recently came off the PUP list. He caught three passes for 22 yards and one touchdown last season and has yet to suit up this season while recovering from an ACL injury.

Rookie Grant Calcaterra recorded just one catch this season for 40 yards. The Eagles selected SMU’s Calcaterra in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft.

Goedert Suffers Injury on Controversial Face Mask Incident

The Eagles trailed the Commanders by two points early in the fourth quarter after Smith scored a touchdown and cut their deficit to 23-21. After getting a huge stop on defense, the Eagles threatened to take the lead against the Commanders.

Goedert was involved in a play that swung the tide of the game. The Eagles faced a third-and-short situation and opted for a passing play. Hurts passed to Goedert, who caught the ball before Commanders’ linebacker Jamin Davis grabbed his face mask during a tackle attempt, and defensive tackle John Ridgeway jarred the football loose. Goedert fumbled, and the Commanders recovered the ball.

Officials missed the face mask infraction and didn’t throw a flag on the play. Slow-motion replays revealed that Davis might have poked Goedert in the eye on the play.

We didn’t see a face mask on the field,” referee Alex Kemp told reporters after the game.

“We can go all day about that,” said Hurts. “At the end of the day, it’s about controlling what we can. We didn’t do that at a high enough level. Today, it got us.”

At the end of the play, Ridgeway fell on top of Goedert and drove his left shoulder into the turf, which caused the injury.

After recovering the fumble, the Commanders added a field goal on the ensuing possession to increase their lead to 26-21. The Eagles fumbled on the next possession, which the Commanders recovered for a touchdown. The Commanders held on to win 32-21, handing the Eagles their first loss of the season.