Grant Calcaterra's eye-popping stats show his potential to be future starter

If there is one Philadelphia Eagles tight end that commands all the attention from the media, it's usually Dallas Goedert, but it might be time to look closer into Grant Calcaterra.

NBC Sports Philadelphia Eagles reporter Reuben Frank wrote his weekly team observations article, where he delved further into Calcaterra's 2024 season. The stats Frank pulled up showed an impressive season from the fourth-year tight end.

"1) Among 58 tight ends with at least 20 targets, Calcaterra ranked third with 9.9 yards per target, behind only George Kittle (11.8) and Tucker Kraft (10.1), 2) He ranked seventh in yards before the catch at 7.2, which means he’s running deep routes but still catching a high percentage of his targets; 3) He tied for first in drop percentage at zero; his 24 catches without a drop were 3rd-most by a tight end last year (behind Foster Moreau’s 32 and Luke Schoonmaker’s 27); 4) His 80 percent catch percentage (24 catches on 30 targets) was 12th-highest; and 5) he finished eighth in yards per catch at 12.4. Pretty solid production for a backup and it makes you wonder if the Eagles believe he can be a TE2 post-Dallas Goedert."

Is Frank going too low on Calcaterra's expectations of being TE2?

Goedert missed seven games last year with an injury, which propelled Calcaterra into the lineup. Playing in 17 games with 13 starts, Calcaterra had a career season with 24 receptions for 298 yards and one touchdown. He caught 80% of the passes that were thrown his way.

The Eagles decided to restructure Goedert's contract in 2025 to keep him for one more year, but his recent history of injuries might make this season his last. He's missed 15 games in the previous three years, and his production has gone down every year.

Last year was the first time Calcaterra had a chance to play significant time on the field and played well. He might not have been ready for a starting job, but he played his role to perfect with the Eagles it was a nice blend on good run blocking and made the catches thrown his way.

The likelihood of Goedert returning in 2026 seems low right now, which would leave the option of drafting the next starter as the most likely plan A. In the past, the Eagles have had success selecting tight ends in the draft with Brent Celek, Zach Ertz, and Goedert.

Calcaterra, at the very least, guarantees the Eagles will have a solid backup for the future to work with. Those numbers that Frank shared, though, are telling signs that he might be ready for a starting role next year if given the proper chance to prove himself.