Update on Richard Rodgers’ injury and what it means for the Eagles

Eagles tight end Richard Rodgers is out for “multiple weeks” with a foot injury, according to an official update from the team.

Rodgers was carted off the Eagles’ practice field on Monday. The 27-year-old had previously missed two weeks with a foot injury prior to returning to practice on Sunday.

Rodgers missing the rest of the preseason obviously doesn’t bode well for his chances of making the 53-man roster. As they say: ‘You can’t make the club in the tub.’

With that said, the Eagles would have to keep Rodgers on their 53-man roster if they wanted to put him on injured reserve and have him be eligible to return after Week 8. That’s exactly what the Eagles did with Rodgers when he was injured last year.

Alternatively, the Eagles could place Rodgers on injured reserve now and thus end his 2019 season. Or they could waive him with an injury settlement and bring him back later in the regular season if he’s still available. The team has options depending on the severity of his injury and how badly they want to retain his services.

Prior to getting hurt, Rodgers was the favorite to be the Eagles’ third tight end behind Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert. Now the Eagles will have to find someone else to fill that role. Joshua Perkins is the favorite to replace Rodgers, just as he did last season. The other two in-house options include Alex Ellis and Will Tye. Ellis has made some nice plays in practice while Tye has been wholly solid but unspectacular.

The Eagles could look to external options if they’re not feeling particularly great about Perkins, Ellis, or Tye. Howie Roseman could look to claim a tight end off waivers after final cuts. Or he could look into a low-cost trade for a veteran third tight end.

The third tight end spot is hardly paramount to the Eagles’ overall success but it’s hardly irrelevant. With the Eagles looking to utilize a lot of 12 personnel this year, they could afford to have a solid third tight end should something happen to Ertz or Goedert.

We’ll see what the Eagles choose to do. For now, it’s a bummer that Rodgers couldn’t stay healthy. Especially after previously dealing with an injury last year. It’s odd, too, because Rodgers had only missed one game in his career before signing with the Eagles.