The Philadelphia Eagles are making multiple roster moves ahead of their Week 11 game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Philadelphia signed tight end Noah Togiai while releasing tight end E.J. Jenkins. Lecitus Smith, a former Cardinals guard, was also signed by the Eagles.
The tight end movements are especially intriguing given that starter Dallas Goedert is slated to be placed on injured reserve. This means Goedert will miss at least four games, with the possibility of missing more.
Togiai is well-known in Philadelphia, having spent the previous two seasons with the team following his rookie year in Indianapolis. Togiai was most recently on the Raiders practice squad until being released in October. The Cardinals signed the tight end in the offseason, but he did not make the final 53-man roster.
The Eagles also added former Cardinals guard Lecitus Smith to their offensive line. The former Virginia Tech offensive tackle was taken by Arizona in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
Last season, Smith appeared in 10 games for the Cardinals, including two starts. Before the 2022 draft, NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein described Smith as “athletic” and best used as a “move blocker.”
Smith, an athletic three-year starter at guard with a decent physique, lacks the necessary measurables for the position, according to Zierlein’s pre-draft evaluation. “He can work as a move blocker as well as in space.” However, he has significant difficulty with hand placement and maintaining control at the point of attack and on work-up blocks.
“His lack of consistency as a run blocker is offset by surprising technique and pass protection success.” Some of Smith’s faults are correctable with coaching and discipline, but he may never get above the level of average backup with the ability to come in and start on occasion.”
Following a bye week, the Eagles’ schedule soon resumes with a Monday Night Football showdown against the Chiefs. This will be Philadelphia’s most difficult opponent so far this season.
The Eagles are favored by three points at Arrowhead Stadium. Philadelphia will love nothing more than to avenge their Super Bowl loss to Kansas City in 2023.
Eagles supporters will be pleased to hear this piece of Eagles news. According to the Heavy Sports forecasts generated by Quarter4, the Eagles have a slim lead.The team is 5-point favorites, which is a substantial departure from the Vegas point spread. According to these calculations, Philadelphia has a 51% chance of defeating Kansas City.
It will be fascinating to see how the Eagles handle the tight end position in the future. On the depth chart, Jack Stoll is next in line. Togiai has a chance to make an impression in the coming weeks if he performs well in workouts.
