NFL
The Philadelphia Eagles Just Received a Huge Boost to Their Offense
Writing professionally since 2015, Jack Dougherty spent six years as a sportswriter with publications such as GoPSUSports.com, the Centre Daily Times, and the Associated Press before joining Sportscasting in 2020. He covers the NBA, the NFL, and the world of golf extensively and has added expertise on any team located in or around his hometown of Philadelphia. Yes, that includes the Philadelphia Eagles, the Philadelphia 76ers, and Philadelphia Phillies. When Jack isn't writing about sports, he's watching them or playing them as he regularly heads to the gym for some pickup basketball or the golf course to hit the links. He's also an avid participant in the sports betting scene who worked at a casino sportsbook for a year and learned the ins and outs of the industry before bringing his expertise to Sportscasting with one excellent gambling recommendation after another.
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The Philadelphia Eagles have been ravaged by injuries early on in the 2020 NFL season. Last week, only two of the 11 starters from Week 1 finished the game against the New York Giants.
But the Eagles are slowly starting to get healthy on the offensive side of the ball. Left tackle Jason Peters and wide receiver Jalen Reagor returned to practice on Monday, and the team just received another huge boost to the offense courtesy of Dallas Goedert.
The birds are battered
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The Eagles had a promising offensive unit heading into the season. Carson Wentz returned to full strength with a heap of weapons at his disposal after finishing last season throwing primarily to backups.
But it didn’t take long for the injury bug to strike. Jalen Reagor and Dallas Goedert got hurt early in the year. DeSean Jackson has been in and out of the lineup all season. Miles Sanders and Zach Ertz missed last week’s game against the Giants. The offensive line looks nothing like it did to start the season. Alshon Jeffery is still no where to be found.
Wentz and center Jason Kelce were the only starters from Week 1 to finish last Thursday’s game. Philadelphia has been one of the biggest injury-plagued teams in 2020, but they’re finally starting to get healthy.
The Eagles are close to getting Dallas Goedert back
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Wentz has been throwing to former quarterbacks, college walk-ons, and late-round draft picks for most of the season. It’s the biggest reason why the Eagles have started the season 2-4-1, but the quarterback will be thrilled to see his favorite tight end target back on the field.
Third-year TE Dallas Goedert returned to practice Wednesday after missing the last four games with an ankle injury. The Eagles activated the 21-day practice window for Goedert, meaning he can return to play at any point in the next three weeks.
Goedert might not play this Sunday when the Eagles meet the Dallas Cowboys in Philadelphia, but he’ll be good to go for their Week 10 matchup against the Giants.
Goedert was one of Wentz’s favorite targets to start the season before he got hurt in Week 3. In the first two games of 2020, Wentz targeted Goedert 17 times, and they connected for 131 yards and a touchdown. He’ll open up the middle of the field and provide a huge boost to an offense in need of more playmakers.
A healthy Eagles team should win the NFC East
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The Eagles haven’t been especially impressive so far this year, but neither has anyone else in the NFC East. The Cowboys have been in a free-fall ever since Dak Prescott suffered a season-ending injury. The Washington Football Team is a feisty bunch, but they don’t have the talent to compete with a healthy Eagles team. And the Giants are, well, the Giants.
Philadelphia finds itself in first place in the division even with all the injuries it sustained on the offensive side. If they can stay afloat for the next few weeks while everyone gets healthy, the Eagles can run away with the NFC East in the second half of the season.
Peters, Reagor, and Goedert all returning to practice this week is a great sign for the offense. Look out for the Eagles down the stretch.
All stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference
