Dallas Goedert feeling comfortable in his own skin as Jalen Hurts makes the Eagles tight end feel valued

In the aftermath of the Super Bowl, Dallas Goedert didn’t know if he had a future in Philadelphia. But he knew he had a vote of confidence from Jalen Hurts.

The 30-year-old tight end spent the first couple months of the offseason in contract negotiations with the Eagles, as the impending final year of his deal contained no guaranteed money. Goedert called the uncertainty “stressful” and chose to spend time around friends and family in his hometown, Britton, S.D.

He also received moral support from his quarterback. Goedert said that Hurts reached out to him and offered him words of validation while his future as an Eagle hung in the balance.

“He didn’t really recruit me back, but he made me feel like I was an important part of the team,” Goedert told The Inquirer on Tuesday. “I was important to him, and that was obviously a really good feeling.”

That good feeling intensified when Goedert agreed to a restructured, $10 million deal in early May, guaranteeing his return to Philadelphia for an eighth season.

Goedert said he was glad that he could put the negotiations behind him, and it showed at organized team activities. At the first open practice in late May, Goedert was Hurts’ preferred target. During the second practice, Hurts connected with Goedert on a rare OTA deep ball.

At the conclusion of OTAs, Goedert said Hurts told him that he was glad that the tight end is back in Philly. Goedert is just as happy to continue his partnership with Hurts.

“The connection that we have, being able to play with him ever since he became a starter, and I feel like we just grow as a duo each year,” Goedert said. “I’ve got so much confidence in him, and I think that’s reciprocated the other way, too. Playing with a quarterback that you’re comfortable with was also important to me. Someone that values you just makes that even better.”

Goedert gets to pick up where he left off with Hurts this season. During the playoffs, Goedert led the Eagles in receiving yards, with 17 receptions on 20 targets for 215 yards and a touchdown.

That 24-yard touchdown produced one of the more iconic images from the Eagles’ championship postseason — Goedert stiff-armed Green Bay Packers cornerback Carrington Valentine three times on his way to the end zone. Another year of Goedert in Philadelphia ushers in the potential for another year of standout playoff performances from him with the team’s championship window wide-open.

“Playing in Philadelphia, with how passionate the fan base is and how much they care and how much they can crucify you for losing a game, I never want to be a reason we lose a game,” Goedert said. “So I always want to make sure I’m playing my best football then and can continue to bring joy to Philadelphia by being successful in the playoffs.”

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Goedert was less prolific than previous seasons in terms of regular season receiving yards. He missed seven games because of injury, including a four-game stint on injured reserve late in the year because of a knee ailment.

When healthy, though, Goedert made an impact on every aspect of the offense. He finished the regular season with 496 receiving yards and two touchdowns on 42 catches, which were among the lowest totals of his career. Still, his 11.8 yards per reception were the third-most in his seven seasons.

Goedert was an invaluable part of the Saquon Barkley-led run game, too. According to Next Gen Stats, the Eagles averaged 6.3 yards per designed rush with Goedert on the field last season (including the playoffs) compared to 4.9 yards without him. That gap was even more pronounced on strong-side runs (5.8 yards per carry with Goedert compared to 3.9 yards without him).

He might not be as hulking as Jordan Mailata or Lane Johnson, but the 6-foot-5, 256-pound Goedert still views himself as an extension of the Eagles offensive line when it comes to run blocking.

“It’s a lot of fun to be able to have the respect of this offensive line that we have,” Goedert said. “When Jordan’s happy to block with you, when Lane’s happy to block with you, when they say that you’re doing a good job, it makes you feel good, just because both of them are respectively the best at their position.”

Over the past year, Goedert’s confidence has transcended the football field. He’s become more outspoken about his struggles with plaque psoriasis, an autoimmune disease that he was diagnosed with when he was 10 years old.

Goedert had long been self-conscious about the rough, flaky patches that covered his skin and wore long sleeves during sweaty workouts to conceal his body. But since he started taking an oral medication a year ago and working with Amgen, a pharmaceutical company, Goedert has been empowered to speak about the treatment plan that has been effective for him.

“One of the coolest things to me is when I get a message or a fan says that they have psoriasis as well and they really thank me for speaking about it because it’s made their life easier,” Goedert said. “That’s what I want to do is raise awareness for it and try to bring confidence to other people.”

Goedert is comfortable in his skin, on and off the field. As a three-down tight end, his goal for the 2025 season is to be an important part of the offense and do whatever he can to help the team win.

With Hurts, Barkley, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and four of the five members of the 2024 starting offensive line under contract this season, the prospect of sustained success seems even more attainable to Goedert.

“I think we have 10 of the 11 offensive starters back,” Goedert said. “We’re only going to continue to grow from what we did last year.

“For us to have the people that we have on the team sign and with the window that we’re in right now, it’s really exciting to be a part of that.”