Dallas Goedert injury update: Latest on Eagles TE and RB Will Shipley before Chiefs game
For the third straight day, Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert and running back Will Shipley did not practice, and both were ruled out for the Eagles’ game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sept. 14.
Goedert has a knee injury, apparently suffered at some point during the game against the Cowboys on Sept. 4, although he played his usual amount of snaps. Shipley left the game late in the second quarter and suffered an oblique injury.
The Eagles also listed rookie tackle Cameron Williams as out with a shoulder injury on the final injury report of the week.
Without Goedert, the Eagles will have Grant Calcaterra as the main tight end, with Kylen Granson as the second. They could also elevate either E.J. Jenkins or Cameron Latu from the practice squad as a third tight end.
"I think we have some guys," Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. "(Calcaterra) has done a really good job of stepping in and playing when Dallas hasn't been able to play these last couple of years."
Goedert, who led the Eagles with seven catches against the Cowboys, missed seven games last season with various injuries. He has missed 15 games with injuries over the past three seasons. The Eagles are 13-2 without him.
Calcaterra caught 24 passes for 298 yards and a touchdown last season, the vast majority of those catches and yards coming during Goedert's absences.
"It helps a ton," Calcaterra, who's in his fourth season with the Eagles said about having that experience filling in for Goedert. "I feel like over the last few years, I’ve had the opportunity to play more snaps when Dallas has been out. So I definitely lean on that experience."
Lions set to get sneaky boost as overlooked defender nears return from injury
The Detroit Lions went into their Week 8 bye on a high note with a 24-9 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The defense, with a secondary depleted by injuries and the suspension of Brian Branch, especially stepped up.
Heading into that game, with the bye week around the corner, head coach Dan Campbell was asked about linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez as he seemingly nears a return from the torn ACL he suffered last Thanksgiving.
"Yeah, we're hoping after the bye (to start Rodriguez's 21-day return window), we can start rolling him out there a little bit", Campbell said.
Rodriguez underwent a second surgery to clean up scar tissue in his injured right knee during the offseason. That didn't appear likely to impact the expectation he'd be able to return sometime in November, approaching one year since his injury, and Campbell's comments confirmed that.
Malcolm Rodriguez is more than ready to return to action
While the Lions' secondary became the "Legion of Whom" against the Buccaneers, the linebacking corps has been a core strength of the defense. Jack Campbell, Alex Anzalone, and Derrick Barnes are all having nice seasons (No. 5, No. 23, and No. 33, respectively, among off-ball linebackers by overall Pro Football Focus grade entering Week 8).
So, barring injury (knock on wood), Rodriguez will likely slide into a role as a core special teamer when he's ready to play. That said, he has been effective filling in when needed since he started 15 games as a rookie in 2022.
Before he was injured last season, with Barnes out due to an early-season knee injury and Anzalone later suffering a broken arm, Rodriguez had 43 total tackles and two sacks over 10 games (six starts) and 318 defensive snaps.
The fourth-year man said he's been cleared for everything but football activity for more than a month and has been waiting "to plug in at the perfect time to come back."
"I'm ready for it," Rodriguez said, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. "It's one of those things where I want to get thrown into the fire and see what it does. I don't want to just ease into it, I kind of want to go full force."
Every case has to be treated uniquely (see Alim McNeill), but the Lions tend to slow-play putting players back on the field when they're coming back from major injuries. So it's possible that Rodriguez's three-week window to be activated is taken right to the end, and his playing time may be carefully managed for a game or two. But as expected, "Rodrigo" has no interest in being eased into action.
