Grant Calcaterra is five games into his third year in the NFL, relishing his role to be ready whenever the team will need him – but he hasn't had the most traditional route when it comes to playing football.
After beginning his collegiate career at the University of Oklahoma and playing the 2019 season with Jalen Hurts, Calcaterra briefly retired from football after multiple head injuries.
During his time away from the game, the Rancho Santa Margarita, CA, native decided to pursue a career as a firefighter while working in construction and attending Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) classes before getting a job.
One day before Calcaterra was set to begin his new career as an EMT, he decided to return to the sport he loved after consulting with doctors that gave him the green light.
"I missed the game a lot and I figured I didn't want to for the rest of my life wonder "what if?" So, I just wanted to try and take my shot and if it worked, it worked, and if it didn't, then I took my shot," Calcaterra said.
For Calcaterra, the shot he took returning to football paid off.
After transferring to Southern Methodist University for the 2021 season, the 6-foot-4 tight end didn't miss a beat, posting career highs in receiving yards (465) and receptions (38). He earned a spot on the AAC second team followed by an invite to the NFL combine and the Reese's Senior Bowl.
In April of 2022, Calcaterra would find his new home with the Eagles, being drafted in the sixth round as the 198th pick, where he would reunite with his former college teammate Hurts.
While Calcaterra has mostly been the backup to one of the league's top tight ends in Dallas Goedert, he has taken full advantage of his role and the opportunities that come with it while learning along the way.
"I think every time I have a question, I'll obviously reach out to Dallas and he helps me as much as he can. If he sees something that I'm doing on the field he'll tell me if it's good or to try this, so he's always helping me out as much as he can," Calcaterra said.
Calcaterra has played in 35 games with six starts in his young NFL career, staying ready for the opportunities as they come, whether it's catching passes or blocking.
With Goedert leaving the game against the Browns last Sunday early with a hamstring injury, Calcaterra answered the call.
The 25-year-old came in and posted career-highs in catches (4) and yards (67) in the 20-16 victory, including a 34-yard catch that would set up the Eagles first touchdown of the game.
"I feel like I just try to approach every game like I'm going to go out there and play 70 snaps," Calcaterra said. "Obviously, most of the time I haven't, but that's just my preparation, trying to get better each and every day and take care of my body and wait for the opportunity if it comes."
Along with catching passes, tight ends have to do some of the dirty work that may go unnoticed to a fan throughout the game. While most people will only focus on the end result of the play, those on the team see it all.
Just like Sunday against the Browns, when Calcaterra stayed in front of DeVonta Smith and delivered the final block to help him get into the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown.
"All the credit goes to Grant for how much work he's put in and how much talent he has and I think there's a chemistry there with Jalen and Grant and so, all those things factor in, but at the end of the day Grant has been everything we expected as a draft pick when we took him a couple years ago and then some," Head Coach Nick Sirianni said. "He just keeps getting better.
"As bummed as I would be if Dallas is out, I'll be really excited about his opportunity like he got last week. Yeah, I'm excited for him."
While Goedert's status for Sunday's NFC East matchup against the Giants is still unclear, the work week doesn't change for Calcaterra.
"I'm always trying to prepare like I'm going to get the reps so that I'm ready whenever that situation presents itself," Calcaterra said.
And if the situation does present itself this Sunday, Calcaterra and Hurts will be ready to go with the chemistry they began to build at Oklahoma in 2019.
"I think it matters in that it's better than having no chemistry and no history with Jalen," Calcaterra said. "Everything matters, us having a little bit of time together in college definitely helps out a little bit, just that relationship."
QB1 shared the same sentiment as they prepare for New York.
"It's always good to have a baseline with a teammate when you can lean on past history, time spent, different plays that come up, you have something you can reference, so he's definitely stepped in and he's done that since he's been here," Hurts said.
– Written by Liam Wichser
