Zach Ertz Returns Home to Philadelphia
A familiar face is returning to Philadelphia.
Veteran tight end Zach Ertz is reuniting with the Philadelphia Eagles, signing with the team’s practice squad after starting tight end Dallas Goedert suffered a sprained MCL in Philadelphia’s Week 2 win over the Tennessee Titans. Ertz is expected to have an opportunity to work his way back onto the active roster as the Eagles deal with injuries at the position. (Reuters)
For Ertz, the move represents a homecoming to the franchise where he became one of the greatest tight ends of his generation.
Philadelphia selected Ertz in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft out of Stanford. From 2013 through 2021, he developed into one of the Eagles’ most reliable offensive weapons, recording 579 receptions, 6,267 receiving yards and 38 touchdowns while earning three consecutive Pro Bowl selections from 2017-19. (Philadelphia Eagles)
His defining moment came in Super Bowl LII. With Philadelphia trailing the New England Patriots late in the fourth quarter, Ertz caught an 11-yard touchdown from Nick Foles to give the Eagles the lead. Philadelphia went on to win 41-33, capturing the franchise’s first Super Bowl championship. (Philadelphia Eagles)
Ertz followed the championship season with the best statistical year of his career in 2018, catching 116 passes for 1,163 yards and eight touchdowns. His 116 receptions established an Eagles single-season record and, at the time, an NFL record for receptions by a tight end. (Philadelphia Eagles)
The Eagles eventually traded Ertz to the Arizona Cardinals during the 2021 season before he later spent two seasons with the Washington Commanders. Now, at 35 years old, Ertz is back where his NFL career began — and he has a chance to add another chapter to his Philadelphia legacy.
Ertz returns with 579 catches as an Eagle, just 11 receptions away from passing Hall of Famer Harold Carmichael’s franchise record of 589. (NFL)
More than a decade after Philadelphia called his name on draft night, one of the heroes of the Eagles’ first Super Bowl championship is wearing Midnight Green once again.
