Good news for the Eagles' offense as they jump into preparations for the Christmas Eve game at AT&T Stadium against the Dallas Cowboys: tight end Dallas Goedert has been activated to the 53-man roster and will return to the starting lineup on Saturday.

Goedert suffered a shoulder injury in the November 14 game against Washington and has since missed five games. He returned to practice last week and made "good progress," said Head Coach Nick Sirianni, but the team decided to wait one more week before adding him to the 53-man roster.

His presence is huge for the offense. Goedert has 43 receptions for 544 yards and 3 touchdowns in his 9 games played, and his explosive ability after the catch rated him among the league's best in that category prior to the injury. The Eagles are able to move him around the formation and create favorable matchups given Goedert's size/speed combination – he's too big for defensive backs to cover and he's too fast for linebackers.

No question the Eagles were able to compensate without Goedert – the offense scored 148 points in the five games he missed – but the Eagles are more complete and efficient over the long haul when he is in the lineup. 

With Goedert active, the Eagles now have four tight ends on their 53-man roster: Goedert, Jack Stoll, Grant Calcaterra, and Tyree Jackson.