The tides have changed with the Philadelphia Eagles, with the most notable difference being Sean Mannion stepping in as the new offensive coordinator.
It was a bold move for Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni to bring in a coach who had never been a play caller in his two-year coaching career to take over one of the toughest jobs in the NFL. There is so much uncertainty about Mannion in the role, but it does feel as though he's got everyone's respect and attention.
One of the first offensive signings in free agency for the Eagles was bringing back one of their own in tight end Grant Calcaterra on a one-year deal. Calcaterra spoke about having the chance to work with Mannion and new tight ends coach Ryan Mahaffey.
"I think some change is good," Calcaterra said via philadelphiaeagles.com's Chris McPherson. "That's one thing I really admire about Coach (Nick) Sirianni is he's always adapting and changing. I feel like this will be a good change. I'm excited to learn the new offense."
Grant Calcaterra spoke about working with his new coaches
Calcaterra has quite the chip on his shoulder going into the 2026 season after struggling under the previous Eagles offensive coordinator, Kevin Patullo's scheme. Last year, Calcaterra had only nine receptions for 76 yards and one touchdown, but he really struggled in run blocking, as he was among the worst-graded tight ends in the NFL.
As a backup, though, Calcaterra has been solid overall for the Eagles since they drafted him in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He'll have some competition this season, though, with Johnny Mundt being signed onto the team in free agency, but he is seen as more of a blocking tight end.
The Eagles' tight end position has so many questions, with no one knowing what will happen with Dallas Goedert, who just had his void date pushed back again. If Goedert doesn't return, the Eagles will have to use the 2026 NFL Draft to find his replacement.
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This will end up being a make-or-break season for Calcaterra to see whether he can take a step forward as a tight end or be a free agent again in 2027. He should be able to thrive in Mannion's offense, though.