Did someone say Hakeem Butler 2.0? This isn’t the first time that the Eagles have moved a big-bodied player to TE and it certainly won’t be the last. The team announced on Thursday that they’d signed Tyree Jackson to a futures contract.
The Eagles are forever looking in unconventional places for new talent. They insist on scouring the CFL, dive deep into the waiver wire, and are always on the pulse of practice squads and potential trades.
This move doesn’t come as a complete surprise. Jackson actually worked out for the Eagles about a month ago. They have a pretty solid track record when it comes to converting quarterbacks to skill-position players as well CC: Greg Ward.
Tyree Jackson was an undrafted QB in 2019 who caught on with the Bills after spending his collegiate career in Buffalo. He was waived after Training Camp and like Greg Ward, ventured to a different league to strut his stuff. Joining the DC Defenders of the XFL, Jackson completed 11 of 18 passes for 46 yards and a touchdown.
At 6’7, 249 lbs, it’s not hard to see why the Eagles are interested in bumping him along the line of scrimmage. The team was relatively high on Donald Parham, who at 6’8 caught 4 touchdowns in the XFL before signing with the LA Chargers in the NFL, accounting for 3 scores and 159 yards this season.
As of right now, the Eagles have a lot of uncertainty at Tight End. Zach Ertz may well have played in his final snaps as an Eagle, while Richard Rodgers is a pending free agent and Dallas Goedert has one year left on his rookie deal.
While we can assume Tyree Jackson won’t be replacing Zach Ertz, he’ll find himself in a Training Camp battle with Jason Croom and Hakeem Butler for a potential TE3 role, depending on if Ertz does move on. At the very least, this will be a fun offseason story to watch.
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