‘Dallas in Dallas has a nice ring to it’: Eagles activate Goedert in time to play vs. Cowboys

Christmas arrived early for Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert.

In addition to Goedert receiving a new pair of shoes from teammate A.J. Brown, the tight end was activated from injured reserve and joined the 53-man roster on Tuesday. Goedert, who missed five games with a shoulder injury, is expected to be back in the team’s starting lineup on Saturday afternoon when the Eagles play the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium.

The Eagles can clinch the NFC East title, along with the conference’s No. 1 seed — which would secure them a bye week, along with home-field advantage throughout the playoffs — with just one more victory over their final three regular-season games.

“Dallas in Dallas has a nice ring to it,” Goedert said with a wide smile. “Shoot — it’s exciting, it’s good to be back. It’s an early Christmas present for me. I’m excited to be back and actually practicing with the guys. I’m happy this [moment] is finally here.

“Obviously, it’s a really big game. We have a chance to win the division, a chance to lock in that No. 1 seed. It’s cool to be part of this. Hopefully we can get it done, so we can get all that new gear and celebrate like we’ve seen a couple other teams do already.”

Goedert spent the last month on injured reserve with a shoulder injury. He was hurt during the team’s lone loss on Nov. 14 when 321-pound Washington Commanders defensive lineman John Ridgeway fell directly on top of him. During the play, Goedert had his face mask tugged by another Commanders defender, which slowed his momentum and allowed Ridgeway to pounce on Goedert. There was no penalty called.

Before the injury, Goedert was enjoying the best season of his career. He had 43 catches for 544 yards and three touchdowns over nine games. He also leads all NFL tight ends in yards after the catch. Even after his five-game absence, Goedert is the team’s third-leading receiver, behind Brown and DeVonta Smith.

“He’s a great player,” center Jason Kelce said. “Dallas is one of the best tight ends in the NFL. He can do everything you want. He can run routes. He can block. He’s an explosive guy who can get mismatches across the middle. He’s a really good player for us, so it’s huge to get him back.”

Because of his IR stint, Goedert was removed from the 2023 Pro Bowl ballot, according to NFL rules. Considering the type of season he was enjoying, Goedert expressed slight disappointment but is taking a big-picture approach to the situation. The Pro Bowl rosters will be revealed later this week.

“[It doesn’t] bother me overly,” Goedert said. “Obviously making All-Pro and Pro Bowl are goals of mine. But I’m not going to let that deviate me. I don’t need to prove to anyone else what I know. So I’m good with it.

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“Hopefully we can get in the playoffs, win the Super Bowl, and not even have to worry about going to [Las Vegas, site of the Pro Bowl] anyway.”

The Eagles are dealing with some uncertainty at quarterback ahead of the Cowboys game. Starter and league MVP candidate Jalen Hurts has a sprained shoulder, and his status for Saturday’s game remains unclear. Goedert discussed both Hurts and backup quarterback Gardner Minshew at length.

“Jalen is a special person, a special talent. If he hurt his shoulder during the game, he played well with it nagging him a little bit,” Goedert said. “[Knowing] the fierce competitor he is, he’s going to be on the field if he can be. So he’s going to attack rehab, and I expect him back as soon as possible.”

Regarding Minshew, Goedert said: “[Our chemistry] is good. Last week, I got to do routes on air with him, I got to do scout team with him a little bit. So I’ve got that early connection with him. Hopefully I get the rock a little bit this week.

“Everybody’s got a lot of respect for Gardner. He came here after Jacksonville, ‘Minshew Mania’ — he kind of had that legend behind him. He came in here and he hasn’t disappointed. He’s been himself since the first day he’s been here. He’s a little different in the best way possible. He prepares like the starter even though he knows he’s the backup.

“We all have faith he’s going to make the most of it.”

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With Goedert sidelined, the Eagles have relied more on top targets A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, along with additional reps from reserve tight ends Jack Stoll, Grant Calcaterra, and Tyree Jackson. Wideouts Quez Watkins and Zach Pascal also have seen an increase in snaps, though the Eagles reported Tuesday that Pascal has a concussion. But now the veteran tight end is back in the mix.

“I think it’s just the combination of work I’ve put in during rehab — I attacked that the best I could,” Goedert said. “I’ve been able to run, get my conditioning up, and get back in the weight room. I’ve just been focusing on things that I looked at throughout the year that I could get better at. I talked to the strength staff and told them what I wanted to improve and get better at. I used this time to hopefully come back better than who I was five weeks ago.”