Eagles Mailbag: What’s Next After Re-Signing Dallas Goedert?
The Philadelphia Eagles reportedly re-signed tight end Dallas Goedert to a one-year deal on Sunday. After both sides agreed to move the void date in his contract back to Monday, they were finally able to get something done. Now the Eagles will bring back a familiar face at TE1 and actually free up salary cap space in 2026.
While Eagles general manager Howie Roseman was finally able to resolve the Goedert situation, there are still several questions looming in Philadelphia. What move will be made next in the City of Brotherly Love? I’ll answer that question and much more in my latest Eagles mailbag.
The Eagles currently find themselves in a similar situation to what they dealt with in 2025 at tight end. Philadelphia currently has five tight ends under contract, yet only one of them is under contract beyond next season (E.J. Jenkins). Therefore, Roseman finds himself in a tough spot ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft.
While the Eagles passed up on addressing tight end in last year’s draft, they can’t afford to do the same thing once again. This year’s draft class is loaded with talent at the position and Philadelphia should select a tight end within the first four rounds of the event. After re-signing Goedert, they won’t necessarily have to reach for a tight end early, but it should still be relatively high on their list of long-term needs.
Grant Calcaterra as Philadelphia’s top tight end would’ve scared me the most, yet luckily the Eagles re-signed Goedert. Here’s how I would rank the other three options from most scary to least scary, if left unaddressed:
Sidney Brown starting at safety
Cameron Williams at back-up right tackle
Nolan Smith Jr. starting at edge rusher
Based on how Vic Fangio utilized Sidney Brown last season (or lack thereof), I can’t see him being happy with that option. Which is likely why we’ve seen reports of Michael Carter II potentially moving to safety in 2026. Yet there are likely more moves to come at safety.
Cameron Williams showed flashes of potential in Week 18 last season, yet I’m not sure if it was enough to win me over as Lane Johnson’s eventual replacement. I’d expect the Eagles to try and find Johnson’s replacement early in the 2026 NFL Draft.
The biggest concern with Nolan Smith Jr. is his health. If he’s able to stay on the field, I don’t personally have any issue with him starting on the edge. I love the physicality that Smith brings at the position and it seems like Fangio appreciates it as well.
The Eagles currently have just three traditional safeties on their roster: Andrew Makuba, Sidney Brown and Andre’ Sam. That isn’t exactly an exciting trio, outside of Makuba. Yet there have been reports that Michael Carter II could be moving to safety in 2026. Even if that’s true, there is still work to be done at the position.
My guess is that we’ll see the Eagles re-sign veteran safety Marcus Epps to a cheap, one-year deal. Epps played well in place of Makuba last season and could start in 2026, if needed. But that shouldn’t prevent the Eagles from addressing the position early in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Toledo safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren and Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman are two potential first-round picks to watch for. Texas safety Michael Taafe has experience playing with Makuba in college and could be a solid option for the Eagles on day three of the event.
I’ve maintained my stance for quite a while on this but there is one position that the Eagles must target within the first two rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft: Offensive tackle. It feels like there is a significant drop-off in talent after the first two rounds in that area and Philadelphia needs to find Lane Johnson’s successor.
Outside of offensive tackle, I’d place each of the other positions of need in buckets like this:
Safety: Day 1 to early Day 3 (rounds 1-4)
Tight End: Day 1 to early Day 3 (rounds 1-4)
Edge Rusher: Day 1 to mid Day 3 (rounds 1-5)
Wide Receiver: Day 1 to mid Day 3 (rounds 1-5)
This is going to sound like a cop-out answer but this would be a win-win scenario for the Eagles. Clemson offensive tackle Blake Miller could be more appealing to Philadelphia given his wealth of experience playing at right tackle and the fact that he has slightly longer arms than Utah offensive tackle Caleb Lomu.
Both players tested well at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine and likely secured their spots as first-round picks in this year’s event. While both players would fit well in Philadelphia, I’ll give Miller the edge due to his experience at right tackle, toughness and slight advantage in arm length.
I don’t believe that the Eagles’ current situation at edge rusher is for the lack of trying or “slacking,” as you said. Philadelphia was interested in re-signing Jaelan Phillips, yet an average annual value of $30 million was just absurd. Once Phillips signed with the Carolina Panthers, the Eagles would likely void the 2027 third-round compensatory pick that they’ll be receiving for his departure with any costly signing.
Therefore, Roseman pivoted to signing Arnold Ebiketie to a one-year deal worth up to $7 million. Philadelphia is also expected to eventually re-sign Brandon Graham as well. Therefore, the Eagles can theoretically enter the 2026 NFL Draft with an edge rusher group of Jalyx Hunt, Nolan Smith Jr., Ebiketie and Graham.
It’s also worth noting that Roseman can still make a trade to improve Philadelphia’s edge rusher group. Minnesota Vikings edge rusher Jonathan Greenard has been linked to the Eagles and would make a ton of sense as a trade target for a third-round pick or so. We’ll see what Roseman does in the coming months, but he certainly isn’t slacking at all.
Yes! If a deal such as this one was on the table, it likely would’ve been accepted already. It seems like the Eagles could be trying to pry a 2027 first-round pick from the New England Patriots, which could be what is holding up trade talks for A.J. Brown. Yet this imaginary deal with the Denver Broncos would be especially promising due to the inclusion of Marvin Mims Jr.
Mims will turn 24-years old this month but has shown plenty of flashes in three seasons with the Broncos. If the Eagles are going to move on from Brown this offseason, it’s going to take more than one player to fill the void created by his departure. This trade with the Broncos would certainly help accomplish that.
While general managers will never admit to this, it’s fair to assume that they proceed with an added level of caution when dealing with Howie Roseman. It feels like the Eagles are often on the winning end of most of their trades, especially in recent years. Yet I don’t believe that this means teams will completely avoid dealing with Roseman either.
For example, it seems like multiple teams have reached out to the Eagles regarding the availability of A.J. Brown. Yet Roseman is reportedly asking for a ton of assets in return. Roseman has stated himself that he never wants to see a trade happen where he didn’t know that player was available. As a result of that mentality, you’ll see the Eagles included in reports and rumors around the NFL.
I pride myself on trying to give Eagles fans as much valuable insight as I possibly can. Yet keeping track of the salary cap can be overwhelming, especially with the way that Philadelphia operates, as they utilize multiple void years, option dates, etc.
Therefore, I rely on people that are much smarter than I am in that area. Here are a few accounts on X that I would recommend that you follow to better understand the salary cap:
Eagles Eric (@EaglesXsandOs)
JasonOTC (@Jason_OTC)
TroyOTC (@TexansCap)
Spotrac (@spotrac)