The Philadelphia Eagles still have room to tweak their roster even after settling on a 53-man group, and one familiar name has surfaced as a possible addition at tight end.
League sources told PHLY Eagles reporter EJ Smith that a reunion with Zach Ertz is on the table.
“Who might that player to be named later be? Zach Ertz has a chance to fill the Eagles’ void at tight end with a potential return on the table, according to league sources. Nothing is imminent as the 35-year-old is nearing the nine-month mark of recovery from a scary knee injury suffered on Dec. 7, but Ertz would welcome a return to the Eagles for his 14th season,” Smith reported.
“He was cleared for football activities earlier this month, although the nine-month benchmark coming next week is often a timeline teams will abide by when assessing a player coming off an ACL tear.
“The fit would make sense, too. Ertz, who had 50 catches for 504 yards in 13 games last year, would be able to play behind Goedert as another receiving option in the room or step into a more featured role if Goedert misses time. Adding Ertz would also buy time for second-round rookie Eli Stowers to develop behind the scenes with the added benefit of another mentorship figure in place for the 23-year-old.”
Ertz spent the first nine seasons of his career in Philadelphia after the team selected him in the second round of the 2013 draft. He helped the Eagles win Super Bowl LII and earned three Pro Bowl nods during that stretch.
The team traded him to the Arizona Cardinals during the 2021 season. He later spent two years with the Washington Commanders before tearing his ACL last December.
In 181 career games, Ertz has 825 receptions for 8,592 yards and 57 touchdowns. Those numbers still look solid for a 35-year-old coming off major knee surgery.
The Eagles currently list Dallas Goedert, Johnny Mundt, Eli Stowers and E.J. Jenkins at the position.
Goedert remains the clear starter and the most reliable receiving tight end on the roster. Mundt is viewed mainly as a blocker. Jenkins is more of a reserve and special-teams contributor. Stowers, the 23-year-old second-round pick, still needs time to develop before he can be counted on as a regular contributor.
That leaves the Eagles a bit thin if Goedert were to miss time.
Ertz could slide in as another reliable target in the passing game while giving the young rookie a veteran to learn from.
General manager Howie Roseman has a long track record of finding veteran bargains who can help right away. No deal is close, and teams often wait until a player is fully nine months removed from an ACL tear before making a decision.
Ertz has already been cleared for football activities, so the next week or so could be telling. A return would also put him within striking distance of the franchise receptions record.
Eagles fans have talked about this kind of reunion for months. Seeing Ertz and Goedert share the field again would feel like old times for a lot of people around the team.
