Philadelphia Eagles must make Tyree Jackson their third tight end

When the 2020 NFL season wrapped, if there was nothing else that could be said about the Philadelphia Eagles, it was this. This was a team that had to get better. They haven’t played a game since being accused of lying down for the Washington Football Team, but everyone can be assured that they won’t be as bad as they were a year ago. Then again, they couldn’t get too much worse.

Part of the reason for that is they improved in some key areas via the NFL Draft and by scouring the free-agent market. Still, while we have identified who the starters are, Philly’s three preseason games will help us understand who the reserves will be. Enter guys like Tyree Jackson. This is someone that you absolutely have to watch during the month of August.

Tyree Jackson has to be the Philadelphia Eagles’ third tight end.

Coming into Week 1 of the NFL’s preseason, the Philadelphia Eagles have seven tight ends on the roster: Jackson, Dallas Goedert, Zach Ertz, Jason Croom, Richard Rodgers, Caleb Wilson, and undrafted rookie Jack Stoll.

Ertz and Goedert we know very well, and we’re certain they’ll make this team. Rodgers is someone else that’s familiar. Injuries forced him into action in 2020, and he played well in relief. Still, it’s time to get one of these younger guys ready. Rodgers isn’t as good as some of you are making him out to be. Plus, he got old pretty quickly.

Wilson played nine offensive snaps and 48 special teams snaps in 2020. Croom made his only catch of the 2020 season count. It was a touchdown reception. Here’s the point. With Ertz and Goedert being locks (and with the theory being the Eagles will keep three tight ends), five guys are battling for one roster spot, but the decision shouldn’t be a tough one.

Tyree Jackson stands at six-foot-seven and tips the scales at 249 pounds. Did someone say ‘possession receiver’ or ‘red-zone target’? It also has to be mentioned that this former Buffalo Bulls (and Buffalo Bills) quarterback, who’s now trying to make the team as a tight end, ran a 4.59 40-yard dash at the 2019 NFL Combine.

If you’ve seen him since then, you know that he hasn’t lost much in the speed department. Ladies and gentlemen, this one’s a no-brainer. He’s a matchup nightmare. Tyree Jackson has to be the Eagles’ third tight end behind Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert. This 23-year-old is too fast for most linebackers to cover and too big for cornerbacks to cover.

Look at it this way. Many of you wanted the Philadelphia Eagles to draft Kyle Pitts, and while Jackson isn’t Pitts, he’s an inexpensive consolation prize. Be ready to see a lot of balls thrown in Tyree Jackson’s direction as we move through the 2021 preseason slate of games.