3 Eagles with most to gain after Jaeden Graham is placed on injured reserve

The Philadelphia Eagles didn’t practice on Friday but were still active. Ahead of Saturday’s session and a scheduled open practice on Sunday, their seventh and eighth training camp practices respectively, thanks to the team’s official website, we’ve learned that tight end Jaeden Graham, a July 27th addition, is headed to the injured reserve.

This follows the news that came two prior. Veteran Richard Rodgers has made his return from the PUP (physically unable to perform) list to the training camp roster.

Off-field news about the Eagles’ training camp competition at tight end seems to come about as frequently as the news of what’s happening at practice if not more so, but that doesn’t mean we’re running out of things to discuss. Here’s what we gather from the recent roster shuffle.

Here are three Eagles to watch at the tight end position now that Jaeden Graham is on injured reserve.

As cold as it may sound, football is a business, and though Graham has suffered a setback on his path to achieving his dream of starring in the NFL, the door opens for someone else. Here’s what we know about the Eagles’ tight end position.

Obviously, Dallas Godert is assured of a roster spot and Jack Stoll, right now, is slotted as the second man on the depth chart behind him. He’s seen a few reps in practice as the Birds hope he evolves and becomes a better receiver.

Tyree Jackson, someone else that Philadelphia has high hopes for, is still on the depth chart. That means the Eagles have three other players who are active and on the training camp roster at the tight end position.. sort of. Two of those guys are hurt.

Still, if the plan is to keep three tight ends on the 53-man roster come September, which is highly possible, they have the most to gain following the news of Graham’s subtraction. Here’s a rundown on each one.

Grant Calcaterra

If you read Inside The Iggles enough, you know that Grant Calcaterra is someone that we’re pulling for. Now, that the concussion issues he’s faced in his past are behind him thankfully, he’s become someone that became a darkhorse candidate for making the roster. Unfortunately, he’s been sidelined with a hamstring injury.

It stands to reason that he needs as many reps as possible to make his case. We’ll have to wait and see how quickly he can get back on the field and whether or not the absence will cost him.

J.J. Arcega-Whiteside

Yes, he’s still hanging in there. Following a position switch, if everyone was healthy, J.J. Arcega-Whiteside would still find himself staring up at Goedert, Stoll, and maybe both Richard Rodgers and Jackson on the depth chart.

His opportunity might be slipping away, especially now that he’s also injured. He left the practice field on Thursday and didn’t return.

Noah Togiai

Ask around, and you’ll learn that there are a lot of people who really like Noah Togiai. He’s seeing more opportunities at practice with so many people on the shelf. He has nice size. He’s six-foot-four and 244 pounds, but he may need a few more reps in the gym (T.J. Edwards threw him to the ground like a ragdoll on Thursday).

We’ll see how he fares in the preseason, but for now, making the roster still looks like a huge hill to climb. Fortunately for him, it doesn’t appear that the climb is as impossible as it was a week or so ago.