Gearing up for the Monday Night Football battle between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Chicago Bears, the veteran tight end Zach Ertz is preparing for his return to the field.
In the days leading up to the game, Ertz was on a fast track to potentially making his 2026 NFL season debut a reunion with the Eagles on the road in Chicago. Ertz was signed to the practice squad early last week.
After a few practice sessions, Ertz said he did what he could to make his debut on Monday, but the final decision for his playing status is totally up to the coaching staff.
Eagles Get Good News On Zach Ertz’s Status vs Bears
As the Sunday night slate wound down for Week 3, The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane reported that Ertz is expected to get elevated to the active roster for the third outing of the year.
“TE Zach Ertz is expected to be activated off the practice squad for the #Eagles-Bears game on Monday night, per NFL sources,” McLane reported on Sunday night. … “Ertz last played for the #Eagles on Oct. 14, 2021. He played despite knowing he was traded to the Cardinals.”
Why The Eagles Brought Back Zach Ertz
It’s been an ongoing rumor since August.
The Eagles had depth at tight end on paper, but training camp added some concern for the position. The rookie Eli Stowers struggled to stand out for good reasons throughout the summer.
Johnny Mundt was added as a blocker, while EJ Jenkins is a special teamer. The Eagles shut down Stowers for at least four weeks, sending him to the injured reserve before Week 1 kicked off. While Dallas Goedert thrived in Week 1, he went down with a knee injury in Week 2.
Goedert isn’t expected to get sent to the IR, but he’ll miss multiple weeks. Adding Zach Ertz, a top tight end on the open market, simply made sense.
Zach Ertz’s Eagles Career
Throughout the first nine seasons of his career, Ertz played for the Eagles.
In 123 games, Ertz caught 579 passes for 6,267 yards and 38 touchdowns. He developed into one of the top tight ends in the NFL while with the Eagles.
Ertz was traded to the Arizona Cardinals in 2021, putting together a three-season stint there. In 2024, the ex-Eagle joined the Washington Commanders for two seasons. Last year, Ertz suffered a torn ACL. He fully recovered from the setback this summer and is ready to hit the field again.