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Eagles sign veteran tight end Richard Rodgers once again

For a coach that values multiple-tight-end sets as much as Nick Sirianni did during his time in Indianapolis, a move to bolster the team’s depth at tight end makes sense.

Eagles tight end Richard Rodgers runs with the football after a catch against New York Giants defensive back Madre Harper on Thursday, October 22, 2020.
Eagles tight end Richard Rodgers runs with the football after a catch against New York Giants defensive back Madre Harper on Thursday, October 22, 2020.Read moreYONG KIM / Staff Photographer

Richard Rodgers’ annual reunion with the Eagles is finally here.

The veteran tight end signed with the team Friday, marking the fourth time in as many years he’s hit the free-agency market only to wind up back with the Eagles sometime between mini camp and the end of the season.

Rodgers’ return was an easy move to see coming. With a Zach Ertz trade or release still seemingly imminent and Dallas Goedert stepping into a featured tight end role, the Eagles were alarmingly thin at the position. Outside of Goedert, the tight end room consisted of almost exclusively unproven players, with Jason Croom as the only player to record a catch in the NFL.

For a coach who values multiple-tight-end sets as much as Nick Sirianni did during his time in Indianapolis, a move to bolster the team’s depth at tight end makes sense. Rodgers, 29, played well for the Eagles’ last year primarily in a reserve role, although he started four games when Goedert and Ertz were both injured.

Rodgers, who played his first four seasons with the Green Bay Packers, finished last season with 24 catches for 345 yards and two touchdowns, and led all NFL tight ends with 22 yards per route run, according to Pro Football Focus.