Like Jordan Mailata, Dallas Goedert misses Eagles practice with a hamstring injury. He could be out a while.
An NFL source told The Inquirer that the tight end is expected to be sidelined for a few weeks.
The benefits of an early bye week that gave the Eagles a chance to get healthy only lasted so long.
Four days out from the team’s road matchup against the New York Giants, neither Jordan Mailata nor Dallas Goedert was present for padded practice on Wednesday. The starting left tackle and tight end sustained hamstring injuries against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday and did not return to game action.
After the game, Mailata was using crutches and sported a sleeve on his left leg. Nick Sirianni said Monday that Mailata would be out for “a couple weeks.” On Wednesday, the fourth-year coach would not share an expected timeline for Goedert to return, but an NFL source told The Inquirer that Goedert is expected to be sidelined for a few weeks.
“Dallas is ultra-tough,” Sirianni said. “If anybody can get back to playing faster than what you might anticipate, it’s Dallas Goedert.”
With Mailata out, Fred Johnson took reps in his place during individual drills alongside Landon Dickerson at practice. The 6-foot-7, 326-pound backup swing tackle came in for Mailata early in the fourth quarter and played 13 snaps. On five pass-blocking snaps, Johnson allowed two pressures, according to Pro Football Focus.
Johnson has seen an uptick in his offensive snaps in recent weeks. Against the New Orleans Saints in Week 3, he entered at right tackle for Lane Johnson, who had suffered a concussion. The backup fared well in limited action, but he struggled the following week as the starter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with Lane Johnson still sidelined. In that contest, Fred Johnson conceded 11 pressures (including two sacks, on 38 pass-blocking snaps (57 total offensive snaps), according to PFF.
“Tampa and New Orleans just opened my eyes to what I needed to work on going into the bye week,” Fred Johnson said before practice. “And what will be an emphasis for me moving forward. If I’m needed to, I’m ready to step into that role of being an emergency tackle and things of that nature.”
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He added that he focused on ironing out “the technique details” of pass protection at either tackle position. He said he would have more of an answer after practice on Wednesday or Thursday as to whether he’s starting.
If Fred Johnson does start, he could have his work cut out for him on Sunday. The Giants traded for Brian Burns, a two-time Pro Bowl edge rusher, and immediately signed him to a five-year contract in the offseason. New York tends to move Burns around, so it could attempt to exploit the matchup against a backup. Through six games, the 26-year-old Burns has collected three sacks, which is tied for second on the team.
“He’s an athlete,” Fred Johnson said of Burns. “Quick-twitch. Just a twitchy guy, elusive, powerful when he’s needed to be. He’s a smart player.”
When Goedert went down on Sunday on the third play of the game, Grant Calcaterra played a career-high 92% of the offensive snaps in his place. The 6-foot-4, 240-pound backup tight end also had his most productive day in his three seasons as an Eagle, with four receptions for 67 yards.
Calcaterra, a sixth-round pick in 2022 out of SMU, also has made contributions to the offense without the ball in his hands, according to Sirianni. He pointed out Calcaterra’s Week 3 slice block on Saints defensive end Chase Young that sprung Saquon Barkley for a touchdown. Sirianni said that Calcaterra has been “on the rise” since the offseason, thanks to his development.
“Grant has been everything we expected as a draft pick when we took him a couple years ago, and then some, and he just keeps getting better,” Sirianni said. “As bummed as I could be if Dallas is out, I’ll be really excited about his opportunity like he got last week.”
Calcaterra, 25, had some familiarity with Jalen Hurts before getting drafted. The two overlapped briefly while playing at Oklahoma in 2019. Calcaterra missed most of the season because of a concussion and announced afterward that he would retire from football because he had suffered several throughout his career. He came out of retirement to play at SMU in 2021. Still, even in a short window at Oklahoma, the tight end established a rapport with Hurts that is beginning to show up in Philadelphia.
“It’s always good to have a baseline with a teammate, when you can lean on past history, time spent, different plays that come up, you have something you can reference,” Hurts said. “So he’s definitely stepped in and he’s done that since he’s been here.”
Meanwhile, cornerback Darius Slay, who exited Sunday’s game with a knee injury, participated in Wednesday’s practice in a limited capacity. Defensive tackle Milton Williams (ankle) did not participate. The Eagles also opened the 21-day practice window for Albert Okwuegbunam, the tight end who started the season on injured reserve with an abdomen injury.
Staff writer Jeff McLane contributed to this article.
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