Philadelphia Eagles roster hopeful tight end Josh Perkins will benefit the most from veteran tight end, Richard Rodgers injury.
Being a third-string tight end on the Philadelphia Eagles is tough. Being that they have one of the most established and best tight ends in the league with Zach Ertz, and a truly promising talent in second-year tight end, Dallas Goedert, it feels impossible to get any playing time.
And for some of these guys, it could feel almost impossible to make this roster at the position. Richard Rodgers came to Philly last season after his stint with the Green Bay Packers concluded. The Eagles snagged him by way of a one-year deal shortly before drafting Goedert.
While nobody expected a significant role from Rodgers, we really didn’t know what to expect. Then, he ended up getting injured in the preseason anyway. That forced the Eagles to rely on Josh Perkins for the third-string role. However, early on, Perkins earned more snaps elsewhere.
With the ridiculous amount of injuries the Eagles had in 2018, Perkins had to play some wide receiver, in addition to being the third-string tight end. It didn’t last a while, but the experiment did leave some curiosity behind Perkins when he was finished filling in early on.
The Eagles kept Perkins around for an opportunity to try and make the roster this year. But they also inked Richard Rodgers to another deal as well, as his initial one expired. That put both, Perkins and Rodgers in a battle for the third spot behind Goedert along with two other hopefuls.
Unfortunately, Rodgers’ injury concerns popped back up as of late. Over the last couple of weeks, he has missed time due to a foot injury. And as he returned to practice this week, it wouldn’t be long before he was being carted off once again for the same issues.
Rodgers’ timetable
#Eagles Injury Update: TE Richard Rodgers is out for multiple weeks with a foot injury.
— Mike Kaye (@mike_e_kaye) August 21, 2019
As Rodgers will now miss ‘multiple weeks’, we can likely assume that his preseason is going to be over once again. And just like last year, the veteran tight end will most likely miss time in the regular season as well. While that’s unfortunate for Rodgers, Josh Perkins will benefit.
Last season, Perkins collected five receptions for 67 yards. Again, by no means was he a critical factor for the Eagles season, but he proved to be a nice option at the position behind Ertz and Goedert. Will Tye and Alex Ellis will get to make their case over these next two weeks as well, but right now, Perkins benefits the most with Rodgers’ absence.