This blog might as well be a sequel article to the one I wrote back in early November, but with a slightly hotter take.

After a rock bottom performance against the Giants when Dallas Goedert caught one pass for zero yards on three targets, the newly minted Eagles’ tight end made amends this past Sunday. His 105 receiving yards tied him for the 8th most amongst all pass catchers for Week 13. Goedert’s two receiving touchdowns also tied him for the most in Week 13, while PFF gave him a 91.6 receiving grade, the 2nd highest in the NFL amongst all WRs and TEs.

Since the Zach Ertz trade after the Week 7 Thursday Night game against the Bucs, the 26-year old ranks as a Top 5 tight end in some significant statistical categories. In the post-Ertz Era (Weeks 7-13), Dallas Goedert is putting up comparable numbers to two of the premier tight ends in the NFL.

The Britton, South Dakota native also provides a sure-handed security blanket for a quarterback like Zach Ertz did in Philly and still is in Arizona. Goedert’s 77.4% catch rate on the season (53 targets) is the 2nd highest amongst all tight ends with over 50 targets. Zach Ertz currently holds a 69.5% catch rate on his 59 targets.

While not as proficient of a route runner as Zach Ertz, the South Dakota State product provides something that Ertz would never do, and that’s gain yards after the catch. Goedert accumulated 296 YAC on the season, ranking him 3rd amongst tight ends trailing only George Kittle (341) and Travis Kelce (422).

Dallas Goedert’s splits between man and zone coverage in the post-Ertz Era are very similar, but the 6-foot-5 265-pound tight end excels at finding soft spots in zone coverage.

*stats post-Ertz Era (Weeks 7-13)

Goedert’s run blocking this season is the only regression if we’re being nit-picky. PFF has him as the 21st best run-blocking tight end with a 67.6 grade, far removed from his 81.0 last season. However, post-Ertz Era, Goedert’s run-blocking grade rose to 71.9, ranking him 12th amongst all tight ends. For reference during that span, George Kittle only has a 69.8 run-blocking grade, per PFF.

The Eagles’ speed on the outside is potentially very dangerous. Suppose the wide receiving unit properly develops into one that opposing defenses must respect the deep ball. In that case, Goedert will continue to burn man coverage over the middle and be a go-to read against soft zone coverage.

Goedert’s top-tier play since Week 7, which again includes that one catch, zero-yard game, puts him near the realms of George Kittle and Travis Kelce already. Plus, having an entire off-season knowing that he’s a priority in this offense should not only help with the 2018 second-round pick’s confidence but put him in a prime spot to be another potent weapon alongside DeVonta Smith in the Eagles’ offense for years to come. Dare I say a potential Tyreek Hill/Travis Kelce potential? Not yet, but the fanatic in me is waiting for that comparison to be made by ESPN one day in the future.

Mandatory Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran | NorthJersey.com