Eagles locker room buzz: Dallas Goedert, A.J. Brown are ‘YAC bros;’ punter Arryn Siposs endorses Dicker the Kicker

Throughout the season, The Inquirer’s Eagles reporters will compile a weekly report on what they’re hearing and seeing from inside the locker room at the NovaCare Complex.

At 27 years old, Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert has ascended to the top tier of his position group.

Entering Week 5, Goedert is tied with Kyle Pitts for first among NFL tight ends in receiving average (15 yards per catch). The 6-foot-5, 256-pound Goedert leads the league in catches of 20-plus yards.

His dominance is evident, but Goedert had to wait nearly four years to seize his full-time opportunity. Originally a second-round pick in the 2018 draft, Goedert patiently played his role as the pupil in Zach Ertz’s shadow. Over time, general manager Howie Roseman realized Goedert’s potential, and he shipped Ertz to the Cardinals last October.

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Nearly one year later, Goedert is reaping the benefits as the starting tight end.

“I’ve been able to learn so much getting all the extra No. 1 reps now that I’m not splitting them,” Goedert said. “I’m just getting more involved in all phases of the game. It helped me improve my route running, being able to just do more, get put in more positions, and just proving to the coaches that I can handle more. The reps of it were just huge for me. Being able to run more routes has been the biggest part for me since Zach was traded.”

Coach Nick Sirianni added: “My memories of Zach is the hard work he put in every single day to be at his best. You saw that every day at a game, that he worked his butt off to maximize his potential. He’s still playing at a very high level. When guys work like that, that’s contagious, and other guys see it, and Dallas was able to see that. ... A lot of respect for Zach Ertz.”

With Ertz no longer part of the franchise, Goedert’s stock has skyrocketed. After the team’s season-opening victory at Detroit, Goedert jokingly labeled himself and wide receiver A.J. Brown as the “YAC bros,” a nod to the duo’s ability to pick up yards in bunches. Goedert is second in the NFL in yards after catch (204) behind only Chargers running back Austin Ekeler.

“It’s just fun,” Goedert said. “With what both A.J. and I have done, and Jalen Hurts leading us with his throws, it keeps the defense on their heels. Week in and week out, they see the physicality that we all run with. It’s scary for them hopefully. We’ve just got to keep doing it, keep grinding, keep being physical.”

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As for his looming reunion with Ertz on Sunday afternoon at Arizona, Goedert said he appreciated every moment under Ertz’s wing.

“It’ll be cool to rekindle back, talk to him, and see him play,” Goedert said. “Obviously, we spent a lot of time together. He’s a tremendous tight end. I’m excited to see him, and what he does out there.”

Goedert then paused for a few seconds before offering another statement with a grand smile: “Hopefully we can lock him up so he doesn’t have much.”

Arryn Siposs didn’t see the hit that injured Jake Elliott, but he heard it.

The Eagles punter was focused on his duties as the holder on the Eagles’ field goal and extra point attempts during the team’s 29-21 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Especially with the inclement conditions, he was focused on getting the ball in place and was fixated on the ground when he heard a loud thud behind him.

When he turned, he saw Elliott laid out on his stomach, clearly in pain.

“It was a pretty loud thud of him going onto the ground,” Siposs said. “He obviously made good contact with him. Once I saw him on the ground and that he was in a little bit of pain, I got up pretty quickly and was trying to go up to the ref.”

The hit didn’t knock Elliott out of the game last weekend, but it will sideline him this Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals. The Eagles signed free agent kicker Cameron Dicker to the practice squad and are expected to elevate him for the road game. Dicker spent the preseason with the Los Angeles Rams and Baltimore Ravens but has yet to kick in a regular-season game.

Siposs said the 22-year-old has shown enough during practice to quell worries going into the game.

“He’s a confident little kid,” Siposs said. “That’s kind of the exciting part about it, you know, he’s going to go out there, when the moment comes, he’s not going to be too worried about it. He’s going to go out there and execute.”

The Eagles have taken Sirianni’s “Dawg Culture” quite literally. Last week, the team announced a new roster move in a playful tweet, introducing “Reggie The Dog.” On Friday afternoon, another puppy was spotted in the locker room: In a bring-your-dog-to-work day moment, running back Miles Sanders introduced his puppy, Chico, to several of his teammates. Sanders is coming off the best game of his career; against the Jaguars, he set career-best marks in rush attempts (27) and rushing yards (134) with two touchdowns. He’s currently third in the NFL in total rushing.