DETROIT − The Eagles have every player on the 52-man roster eligible to play against the Lions. And that, to Eagles coach Nick Sirianni, accomplished his goal of the preseason: Getting everyone to the opener healthy.
That includes running back Miles Sanders, who missed three weeks with a hamstring injury before returning to practice last week. It includes defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, who also missed three weeks with a toe injury. And it includes center Jason Kelce, who had elbow surgery on Aug. 8.
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Kelce is starting his 123rd straight game, the longest active streak among NFL centers since 2014.
Mostly, it means the Eagles’ three main receivers A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and tight end Dallas Goedert are all ready to go. The Eagles traded for Brown last April to complement Smith and Goedert.
And Goedert has big expectations for this season. He’s starting the season as the top tight end for the first time in his five seasons after the Eagles traded Zach Ertz last October.
Goedert finished last season with a career-high 830 yards last season. When asked what his goals are for 2022, Goedert replied: “I would say if I can have 200 catches and 2,000 yards, that’d be a great year for me.”
The NFL record for receptions is 149. The record for receiving yards is 1,964.
When asked if he really said 200 catches, Goedert replied: “Heck yeah, man. I want the ball, baby. I’m an unselfish guy. I want to do whatever to help the team win. I want to be perfect on all of my blocks.”
All of which gives the Eagles’ more options on offense. Sirianni, however, said it won’t be a problem keeping everybody happy.
“I definitely won’t ever look at that as a challenge,” he said. “Hopefully you have the trust of the guys and you’ve connected with the guys enough that they understand the game plan. You tell them the why behind the game plan. You tell them what’s going on.
“Of course, all those guys are going to want ball, because they’re all competitors, all really good players, and all know if they touch the ball, they can help us win.”
Eagles inactives
The Eagles’ inactives are QB Ian Book, S Reed Blankenship, RB Trey Sermon, G Josh Sills, DE Tarron Jackson, TE Grant Calcaterra … WR Britain Covey and TE Noah Togiai were elevated from the practice squad for the game. Covey is expected to serve as the Eagles’ punt returner.
Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @Mfranknfl.
