Eagles downplay Dallas Goedert’s slow start: ‘He’ll get going. I’m certain of that.’

After he hauled in two receptions for 25 yards on Sunday, Dallas Goedert upped his season total to a measly 88 receiving yards on 13 catches. Goedert is tied for 27th among NFL tight ends in yards.

Through four games, it appears the Eagles tight end has become an afterthought in the pass offense under coordinator Brian Johnson. Yet, the Eagles are 4-0, one of just two undefeated teams remaining, and they rank fifth in the NFL in points per game (29.5).

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Goedert’s lack of production is especially alarming, considering that since 2021 — the season he took over for Zach Ertz as the team’s primary tight end — he ranks fifth among NFL tight ends in receiving yards (1,620). Goedert especially is a threat in the open field, where he can use his blend of size and athleticism to power through opposing defenders; he leads the NFL since 2021 in average yards after catch (6.7) and he ranks second in yards per reception (13.1). The South Dakota State product has developed a reputation as a zone beater with his ability to find soft spots in the defense and garner intermediate throws from Jalen Hurts.

But one month into the regular season, Goedert, 28, has registered 6.8 yards per touch, which is significantly below his career low of 10.1 in 2018, his rookie season. Through his first four games last season, Goedert had 16 catches for 240 yards (15 yard average) and one touchdown.

Is coach Nick Sirianni among those concerned?

“I still think it’s a small sample size,” Sirianni said. “There’s always a combination of different things. Something may break down in a play when Dallas is supposed to get the ball.

“There are so many different variations of what can happen.”

At the conclusion of training camp, Sirianni gathered the entire team from inside the auditorium at the NovaCare Complex. He stood in front of a lectern, stared at every player, and defined each individual’s role.

When it was time to address Goedert, Sirianni shouted, “This pass game runs through you, Dallas … it can look different each and every week, but for us to be special, we need you three [Goedert, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith] to let it go!”

While Smith and Brown have taken off with a combined 51 catches, 698 yards, and four touchdowns, Goedert is still waiting his turn. Not only has he yet to eclipse 100 receiving yards, he’s also been held scoreless.

Back at the NovaCare Complex on Monday, Sirianni acknowledged that the coaching staff would like to get Goedert more involved and added that the sixth-year veteran is still contributing in ways beyond the stat sheet.

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“Trust me — I promise you he’s still part of the plan of us wanting to get him the football. We need to get him the football,” Sirianni said. “Sometimes there’s a dry spell in there, too, with what’s kind of going on right now. There are some different things that defenses are concerned of with Dallas that has affected some of the touches he’s gotten. It’s a bit of both. He is a great player. We rely on him.

“Even though he’s not contributing in the way we all envision him to contribute at this particular time in the pass game, he’s been a force in the run game. Dallas still changes the game. … He’ll get going. I’m certain of that. We’ve got to do our jobs as coaches to get him going. But he is still a very big factor in the way our offense is playing right now.”