By Paul Bowman, Sports Talk Philly Editor
With news breaking on Tuesday that Dallas Goedert suffered a fractured ankle, the Eagles were expected to be without the top tight end for some time.
With the new rules in effect that mean IR stays need only be three weeks and unlimited players can return, the move to place Goedert on injured reserve was expected.
Tuesday afternoon, that move was made official as the Eagles brought in a new tight end, sort of, for the team to work with.
Roster Moves: #Eagles have agreed to sign TE Hakeem Butler to the active roster from Carolina’s practice squad.#Eagles have placed TE Dallas Goedert on Reserve/Injured. pic.twitter.com/F1T8NNTyoE
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) September 29, 2020
Joining the roster is Hakeem Butler, who has been listed as a wide receiver only in college and his one season in the NFL.
The 103rd overall pick in the 2019 draft, Butler missed the entire 2019 campaign with a hand fracture. The acquisition of DeAndre Hopkins by the Cardinals made it so his services were no longer needed in Arizona.
The rookie had shown inconsistencies in camp, however and could not be traded. He landed with the Panthers, where he stuck on their practice squad for a few weeks before the Eagles thought it best to transition him to tight end.
The Eagles are in a poor spot right now, so taking a shot on someone with high upside like Butler makes sense.
While he has shown inconsistencies, he has yet to appear in an NFL game despite racking up 1,318 yards and nine touchdowns for Iowa State in 2018.
Butler also has some speed, as seen by his 4.48 40-yard time, to go along with his size (about 6.5 feet tall).
He has the size to be a decent blocker and the potential to be a threat in the passing game, but his route tree has been limited for much of his career.
This is a signing that the Eagles can be heavily rewarded for if they are able to develop this young player, but it would be a surprise to see him get any significant snaps this or even next weekend considering he has to learn the playbook in addition to more routes.