November 30, 2023
A Super Bowl LII hero is hitting the market. The Arizona Cardinals are waiving Zach Ertz, granting the veteran tight end his request to be released. Former Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt was the first to report.
Going through waivers, Ertz's contract will be worth a "little north of" $2.5 million, per the NFL Network's Mike Garafolo. If he is not claimed, he will be a free agent and able to sign with any team.
The obvious question: should the Eagles be interested in bringing in their former star tight end?
Ertz's 2017 teammate Torrey Smith thinks so, at least:
I know a place 👀 @ZERTZ_86
— Torrey Smith (@TorreySmithWR) November 30, 2023
Dallas Goedert is currently dealing with a forearm injury, missing the Eagles' most recent two games. His status is up in the air for Sunday against the 49ers. Reserve tight end Grant Calcaterra was also inactive this past week against Buffalo with an ankle injury.
The Eagles are ultra-thin at tight end, with block-first backup Jack Stoll playing 55 percent of the offensive snaps each of the last two weeks.
Ertz is familiar with the Eagles' offense, having played in Nick Sirianni's system during the beginning of the 2021 season before being shipped to Arizona. The Eagles were giving Ertz a chance to catch on with a playoff contender. Naturally, the Eagles made the postseason in 2021 anyway and advanced to the Super Bowl once more in 2022 while the Cardinals went 4-13.
If the Eagles don't want to bring in any "old guard" players and keep things fresh in the Jalen Hurts era, that makes sense. Ertz isn't close to the weapon he once was during his Eagles peak, when he caught 112 balls in 2018, but, hey, he might offer more than the likes of Stoll and Albert Okwuegbunam at this point.
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