Eagles Re-Sign Albert O: Why Philly Wanted Another Look

The city of Philadelphia It wasn’t like tearing up an NCAA bracket after a pair of upstart Cinderellas pulled off shocks, but quite a few “Stay or Go” exercises in the Delaware Valley were derailed when the Philadelphia Eagles chose to bring back veteran tight end Albert Okwuegbunam on a one-year contract.

The Eagles, hoping to improve the position after longtime starter Dallas Goedert, took a chance on Okwuegbunam during the initial cutdown to 53 last August by trading late-round picks with Denver.

As a fourth-round pick from Missouri, the Eagles acquired the remaining year of Albert O’s rookie contract in exchange for a 2025 seventh-round pick and a 2024 sixth-rounder.

The Eagles, hoping to improve the position after longtime starter Dallas Goedert, took a chance on Okwuegbunam during the initial cutdown to 53 last August by trading late-round picks with Denver.

As a fourth-round pick from Missouri, the Eagles acquired the remaining year of Albert O’s rookie contract in exchange for a 2025 seventh-round pick and a 2024 sixth-rounder.

It appeared to be a solid swing from GM Howie Roseman since Okwuegbunam had teased in Denver with his great athleticism, and the Eagles, who were 31st on the waiver wire, knew the Broncos were set to move on and were unlikely to receive the TE in that manner.

Okwuegbunam’s 4.49 speed at 6-foot-5 and 258 pounds is unusual, and he caught 54 passes for 546 yards and four touchdowns as a reserve TE with the Broncos from 2020 to 2022.

That’s not a lot of output, but given what the Eagles have been getting from Jack Stoll, who is mostly a blocker, and Grant Calcaterra behind Goedert, it could serve as an upgrade, at least on the receiving end.

However, that mentality did not present itself in 2023, as Okwuegbunam remained an afterthought, buried on the depth chart even when Goedert missed three games due to a fractured forearm.

With an expired contract, it appeared that Okwuegbunam would reach the open market in March, but the Eagles handed him a new one-year contract roughly three weeks before the start of the new league year.

Perhaps new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, who has had success with tight ends in the past, will take a look at Okwuegbunam this spring and summer.

Meanwhile, beginning from scratch with position coach Jason Michael to assist polish both technique and route-running principles rather than arriving late on the eve of the regular season should offer Okwuegbunam a greater chance to earn a spot.

Essentially, the extension concerns not only the contract, but also the time between last year’s August trade and the initial cutdown in 2024.

The decision also does not preclude the Eagles from pursuing additional opportunities to enhance their TE situation in free agency or through the draft. If Okwuegbunam’s offseason does not go well, it should be quite simple to part ways with him.