The Philadelphia Eagles kept four tight ends on their initial 53-man roster. All of them appear to have definitive roles in the position group.
But SI on Eagles’ Jeff Kerr argued the Eagles shouldn’t be done addressing the position. Kerr explained Tuesday the team should seriously consider re-signing veteran tight end Zach Ertz.
To do so, Kerr sees the Eagles parting ways with E.J. Jenkins.
“While Jenkins has been a player that has developed as a former college receiver and deserves the opportunity, Ertz can help the Eagles win right now,” wrote Kerr. “Even coming off an injury, the Eagles would have a TE2 that can catch passes and add another weapon to the offense.”
Standing at 6-foot-6 and 245 pounds, Jenkins significantly improved as a blocker this summer. But he remains an unlikely source for any statistical output.
In his NFL career, Jenkins has posted one catch for seven yards in 10 games.
Ertz will turn 36 years old in November. But he still had 50 catches for 504 receiving yards and four touchdowns with the Washington Commanders last season.
Could Eagles Bring Back Zach Ertz?
On one hand, if the Eagles really wanted to bring back Ertz, they likely would have done it by now. But the Eagles could also be waiting for the veteran tight end to prove he is healthy.
Ertz suffered a torn ACL on December 7. That means he’s almost 10 months removed from the severe injury.
If healthy, Ertz could provide the Eagles offense another pass-catching tight end. Philadelphia doesn’t have another elite option for quarterback Jalen Hurts in its tight end room besides Dallas Goedert.
Second-round pick Eli Stowers was supposed to be that and the heir apparent to Goedert beyond 2026. But Stowers experienced a bit of a Stowers has struggled with blocking and pass protection this summer, which has affected the other areas of his game. He’s not getting the separation as a pass catcher and can’t get open consistently.rough summer at training camp,” wrote Kerr.
“A hamstring injury has also affected Stowers over the past week, but that injury isn’t believed to be long term. Even if Stowers were healthy, Jenkins should be playing over him come Week 1.
“Stowers just isn’t ready to play right now, which wouldn’t hurt the Eagles to bring in a veteran tight end with experience. This is where Ertz comes in.”
Ertz spent the first eight and a half seasons of his NFL career with the Eagles. Philadelphia traded the tight end to the Arizona Cardinals midway through the 2021 campaign.
But from 2013-21, Ertz was one of the top tight ends in the league. He caught 579 passes for 6,267 yards with 38 touchdowns in 123 games for Philadelphia. In the Super Bowl following the 2017 season, Ertz posted seven catches for 67 yards and a touchdown in the franchise’s first championship victory since 1960.
Howie Roseman Addresses Potentially Signing Ertz
At his press conference Monday after the Eagles made their final initial 53-man roster decisions, Eagles general manager Howie Roseman received a question on Ertz.
Roseman had only good things to say about the veteran tight end. But the GM was also positive about the team’s current tight end room.
“We love what we have going on in our tight end room. I would say we have talked to Zach over a period of time, obviously, rehabbing his ACL, the relationship is just like a lot of our former players who’ve been here,” said Roseman.
“Like anything else, we wouldn’t get into any conversations about anything other than from a big picture perspective. In my opinion, he’s one of the greatest tight ends to play the game, and I have tremendous respect for him. We’re also excited about the tight ends that we have.”
It doesn’t sound like the Eagles are preparing to add Ertz. But it also doesn’t appear such a move is off the table either.
In 181 career NFL games, Ertz has 825 receptions, 8,592 receiving yards and 57 touchdowns.
Eagles Urged to Part Ways With 6-Foot-6 Veteran to Bring Back TE Zach Ertz