The Philadelphia Eagles have added a new tight end, claiming Kevin Foelsch off waivers from the New York Jets. The team announced the addition on August 3.
In a corresponding roster move, Philadelphia waved rookie tight end McCallan Castles with an injury designation.
The 6-foot-4, 250-pound Foelsch played in 42 games for the University of New Haven Chargers (Division II) from 2019-2022. After going undrafted in the 2024 NFL draft, Foelsch was signed by the Carolina Panthers, but was waived three days later. He landed in New York with the Jets after that.
Philadelphia kicks its 2024 preseason off on August 9 on the road against the Baltimore Ravens, so we could get a glimpse of Foelsch as early as then.
A Look at the Philadelphia Eagles’ TEs Room After They Signed UDFA Kevin Foelsch
Here's tight end Kevin Foelsch. Foelsch, wearing 43, was claimed off waivers on Saturday after the Jets waived him on Friday. pic.twitter.com/quezfLUE9n
— Chris Franklin (@cfranklinnews) August 4, 2024
Dallas Goedert and Grant Calcaterra are the team’s top two tight ends on the roster heading into the preseason, with C.J. Uzomah, Albert Okwuegbunam Jr. and E.J. Jenkins all behind them on the depth chart. Foelsch will likely be a strong candidate for the practice squad.
The 23-year-old Foelsch hauled in 73 passes for 660 yards and 16 touchdowns during his college career at New Haven. He worked out at UConn’s pro day, running a 4.65 40-yard dash, not a bad speed for a tight end.
He is on the smaller side, but he’s versatile in terms of where he can line up. Foelsch served as a plug-and-play guy in college, lining up in the slot, inline and out wide depending on what the play called for.
“In my film you can see I can catch the ball well, run multiple type of routes, and I’m willing to put my hand in the dirt to block as well,” Foelsch told NFL Draft Diamonds in June of 2023. “My favorite offensive scheme is our play action schemes they have for me. A lot of my bigger plays have come from play action.”
If Foelsch can showcase his athleticism throughout the preseason, he has a decent chance of sticking around on the practice squad.
2024 Set to Be Huge Year for Eagles’ TE1 Dallas Goedert
Now entering his seventh season in the league, Goedert had a bit of a down year in 2023. In 14 starts last season, he had 59 catches for 592 yards and three touchdowns. After faining 700+ yards in both 2021 and 2022, the Eagles TE is hoping to get back to top form once again.
“The best years are ahead of me,” Goedert told the Philadelphia Inquirer in June, also noting his excitement in working with Philly’s first-year offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. While serving as OC for the Los Angeles Chargers last year, ex-Chargers TE Gerald Everett was tied for second on the team with 51 catches in Moore’s offense, so hopes are high Goedert will see a much higher volume than that.
“I feel like it’ll play in favor of the tight end, the quick game a little bit, getting back to the pivots, the sticks that I caught earlier in my career that went away a little bit,” Goedert said about Moore’s offense. :I’m really excited for how he uses the tight end and how he feels like they can be a big part of the offense and help win games.”
