Jacksonville Jaguars: Dallas Goedert would be solid upgrade at TE

The Jacksonville Jaguars currently have only three tight ends on the roster: Chris Manhertz, James O’Shaughnessy, and rookie Luke Farrell. They will probably add another one before the start of the 2021 season. If they want to acquire one of the best, they should give the Philadelphia Eagles a call about Dallas Goedert, who might be available via trade.

Matt Lombardo of FanSided recently reported that the Minnesota Vikings were interested in trading for Goedert before ultimately settling on Chris Herndon of the New York Jets. The 2018 first-round pick has hauled in 104 receptions for 1,131 yards and eight touchdowns over the last two seasons. Those numbers don’t jump out of the stat sheet but context is necessary. In 2019, Goedert was the Eagles’ tight end two behind Zach Ertz. And last season, Philly lacked stability at quarterback. Thus the dropoff in production.

Although Ertz was the subject of trade talks throughout the offseason, it looks like he will ultimately stay in Philadelphia. Meanwhile, Goedert could be on his way out even though he and the Eagles were in discussion for a potential contract extension. The South Dakota State product is set to become a free agent next offseason, hence the desire to get a new contract.

The Jacksonville Jaguars could use a boost in their tight end room.

Head coach Urban Meyer acknowledged after the final roster cuts that tight end is a concern and the team’s brass needs to get one sooner rather than later.

"Tyler Davis really came on near the end. We’re going to try to keep him, as well as [Ben] Ellefson. They really did a nice job.[James] O’Shaughnessy is our best receiver right now. Luke Farrell is coming on. I like the position a lot. I love who they are but we still need to get one more at some point."

Both Ellefson and Davis were part of the last round of roster cuts. The Vikings claimed Ben Ellefson off of waivers, so a return to Duval is now off the table. The Jaguars can still bring back Tyler but they want to upgrade their tight end room, they need to consider pursuing Goedert. As recently as July, he was named a top 5 tight end by Pro Football Focus.

It’s not often that an upper echelon tight end is available and if the Eagles are still interested in dealing Goedert, the Jaguars need to give them a call. Jacksonville has a promising young quarterback in Trevor Lawrence, so his talent wouldn’t go to waste.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have the assets to make a trade.

The Jaguars have $31.67 million in cap space, per Over the Cap, so they would have enough money to give Goedert an extension. Also, they have several late-round picks in 2021 after trading cornerback Sidney Jones, quarterback Gardner Minshew, linebacker Joe Schobert, and defensive end Yannick Ngakoue. They could use a couple of those extra selections and a third-round pick.

Maybe a second-round round pick and a sixth gets a deal done but Goedert would be worth it. He’s barely 26 and about to enter his prime. If he stays healthy, he could become a Pro Bowl and maybe even an All-Pro caliber tight end. The Jaguars have made several upgrades to most position groups this offseason. It’s time they give one to their tight end room.