Philadelphia Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert fractured his right forearm back on Week 9 against the Cowboys. Now, after just two weeks and no news of an IR designation, the Eagles, fans, and analysts alike are starting to eye a comeback for Goedert in Week 14 against those very same Cowboys.
On Friday, November 24th, Joe Tolentino of the Philadelphia Inquirer took to Twitter, saying, “Eagles TE Dallas Goedert continues to trend in the right direction with his fractured forearm. Goedert just wrapped up a cardio workout. Chatted with him now in the locker room and he seems to be in great spirits, indicated he’s healing quicker than initially expected.”
Tolentino then reminds us of head coach Nick Sirianni’s words from a week prior: “Last week, Nick Sirianni said regarding Goedert: ‘We have high hopes that Dallas is going to be back. Again, I don’t know when. I think that’s unfair to Dallas…There is a reason he’s not an IR.’
Goedert, of course, went out on a controversial play with fans arguing about whether or not it was dirty. Analysts and fans took to social media, posting videos of the play in question, looking at it in slow motion and from different angles. Emotions flared as even Sloan Piva of the Sporting News even went as far as calling Cowboys Safety Markquese Bell a “scumbag.”
History Bears a Serious Warning for Players Coming Back this Early
NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport initially reported on Good Morning Football that Goedert would only miss around four weeks with the fractured four arm. This prognosis, though seemingly short at first, now seems more and more plausible as time goes on, especially given this news today.
If a long-time Patriot fan were to hear about a tight end coming back early from a forearm fracture, they might issue a warning from personal experience. Around the same time of year, back in mid-November of 2012, Pats tight end Rob Gronkowski, went out with a similar injury. He came back in just six weeks. Then, notoriously, broke the same arm again in the playoffs that year, setting off lively discussions between his camp and Patriots brass.
No two injuries are the same, but the Eagles team and fans would both hate to see their prized pass-catching tight end suffer a similar fate. Just two years ago last week, the Eagles extended Goedert through 2025 on a 57.5 million dollar contract with over 35 million in guaranteed money.. This, along with a league-best record of 9-1, gives the team every incentive to protect this special talent.
It Would Be Great to See Goedert Back on the Field
That being said, fans must relish the thought of seeing Goedert come back against the same team that dealt the injury. The Goedert comeback could make the story of the Week 14 game even more exciting than it will already be.
The Cowboys were narrowly defeated 23-28 by the Eagles, but since that game, they’ve had very convincing victories against the Giants (49-17), the Panthers (33-10), and this week the Commanders (45-10).
Week 14 is squaring up to be a revenge game for the Cowboys that also looks like it could be decisive for the playoff picture. The Eagles surely would love to have their star pass-catcher, whether he was in an arm brace or not, but time will tell if Goedert can suit up so quickly.