Veteran tight end Zach Ertz is officially back with the Philadelphia Eagles. Ertz couldn’t be anymore excited about the opportunity.
“My mom was in tears; my wife was ecstatic,” Ertz told reporters who met him at the Philadelphia airport early Tuesday morning, via NBC Sports Philadelphia’s John Clark. “My kids, they really don’t understand, but I already had the boys practicing the E-A-G-L-E-S chant.
“Overall, it was good. It’s an exciting time. Just really happy to be back. I am honored to be back in Eagles Green. But at the end of the day, I have to go earn whatever role I can.”
Ertz will return almost five years after the team traded him to the Arizona Cardinals. The tight end spent the past two seasons in the NFC East but with the Washington Commanders.
Ertz remained available in free agency with rumors circling during training camp and early in September that he could come back to the team that drafted him. That became official Monday.
“Three-time Pro-Bowl tight end Zach Ertz, who played in Philadelphia from 2013-21 and helped the team win its first Super Bowl, is returning to the city and signing with the Eagles practice squad, per sources,” wrote Schefter on X. “The Eagles lost TE Dallas Goedert to a sprained MCL and now are turning to Ertz, who spent the past two seasons in Washington.”
Ertz is signing with the Eagles practice squad. NFL insider Tom Pelissero reported Monday evening, though, the team plans to add him to the active roster for Week 3’s matchup versus the Chicago Bears.
Zach Ertz Focused on Earning Role in Return to Eagles
Clearly, Ertz and his family are excited about his return to Philadelphia. But the tight end is trying to quickly turn the page to prepare for his first game in six days.
“Obviously, it’s going to be special, but for me, it’s just trying to have a great week of practice. I have to earn everything on this team,” said Ertz. “I would say there are 10 guys on the team that played with me. Know me personally. So, it’s just going to be a great experience getting back in the building, get around the guys and earn whatever I can.”
The Eagles signed Ertz a day after the team lost veteran starting tight end Dallas Goedert. That was the latest tight end injury the Eagles have suffered. Philadelphia also has tight ends Grant Calcaterra and second-round rookie Eli Stowers on injured reserve.
That’s why, in a perfect world, Ertz will play immediately when the Eagles host the Chicago Bears on Monday night next week. But how much could depend on how quickly Ertz gets reacquainted with Nick Sirianni’s offense and new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion.
“I’ve learned a lot of plays, looks over the years. The routes are pretty much the routes. In the NFL, you just kind of call them different things,” Ertz added Tuesday morning. “So it’s about memorizing them and getting up to speed as fast as I can.”
Ertz is returning to the Eagles 11 receptions shy of becoming the franchise’s all-time leader in catches.
Zach Ertz Speaks out on Return to Eagles