September 21, 2026
The Philadelphia Eagles are bringing back a familiar face in Zach Ertz, according to a report from ESPN.
The Eagles are presently extremely thin at tight end, with Dallas Goedert out "a few weeks" with an MCL sprain; as well as a pair of backups in rookie Eli Stowers and Grant Calcaterra on injured reserve.
Ertz, who will turn 36 in November, is reportedly signing to the team's practice squad, so he won't take up a roster spot, for now.
Ertz is arguably already the best tight end in Eagles history, as he racked up 579 receptions for 6,267 yards and 38 TDs over eight-plus seasons in Philly. His career numbers:
| Zach Ertz | Rec | Yards | YPC | TD |
| 2013 (PHI) | 36 | 469 | 13.0 | 4 |
| 2014 (PHI) | 58 | 702 | 12.1 | 3 |
| 2015 (PHI) | 75 | 853 | 11.4 | 2 |
| 2016 (PHI) | 78 | 816 | 10.5 | 4 |
| 2017 (PHI) | 74 | 824 | 11.1 | 8 |
| 2018 (PHI) | 116 | 1,163 | 10.0 | 8 |
| 2019 (PHI) | 88 | 916 | 10.4 | 6 |
| 2020 (PHI) | 36 | 335 | 9.3 | 1 |
| 2021 (PHI/AZ) | 74 | 763 | 10.3 | 5 |
| 2022 (AZ) | 47 | 406 | 8.4 | 4 |
| 2023 (AZ) | 27 | 187 | 6.9 | 1 |
| 2024 (WAS) | 66 | 654 | 9.9 | 7 |
| 2025 (WAS) | 50 | 504 | 10.1 | 4 |
| TOTAL | 579 | 6,267 | 10.8 | 38 |
After a couple of down years in Arizona, Ertz had a couple of resurgent seasons with the Commanders, until a December ACL tear ended his 2025 season.
Here is where Ertz ranks in Eagles franchise history in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving TDs.
| Rank | Receptions | Receiving yards | Receiving TDs |
| 1 | Harold Carmichael (589) | Harold Carmichael (8978) | Harold Carmichael (79) |
| 2 | Zach Ertz (579) | Pete Retzlaff (7412) | Tommy McDonald (66) |
| 3 | Pete Retzlaff (452) | DeSean Jackson (6512) | Mike Quick (61) |
| 4 | Brian Westbrook (426) | Mike Quick (6464) | Pete Pihos (61) |
| 5 | DeVonta Smith (398) | Zach Ertz (6267) | Pete Retzlaff (57) |
| 6 | Brent Celek (398) | Pete Pihos (5619) | Bobby Walston (46) |
| 7 | DeSean Jackson (379) | Tommy McDonald (5499) | Zach Ertz (38) |
| 8 | Pete Pihos (373) | Bobby Walston (5363) | Jeremy Maclin (36) |
| 9 | Keith Byars (371) | DeVonta Smith (5189) | DeSean Jackson (35) |
| 10 | Mike Quick (363) | A.J. Brown (5034) | Calvin Williams (34) |
As you can see, Ertz is 10 receptions shy of the franchise's all-time leader, Harold Carmichael.
But perhaps more than his regular season numbers, Ertz was known for plays he made in the Eagles' first winning Super Bowl game, as Nick Foles looked Ertz's way in a pair of crucial situations. The first was on fourth down on the Eagles' go-ahead drive in the fourth quarter. The second was the lead-changing score on that same drive. In that game, he caught seven passes for 67 yards, and his clutch TD. A highlight reel:
579 receptions
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) October 15, 2021
6,267 yards
38 touchdowns
Countless unforgettable moments pic.twitter.com/HAqLztnJze
The Eagles are known to bring players back who they either traded or who left to play for other teams. Ertz joins past examples like Nick Foles, Jeremiah Trotter, and DeSean Jackson, among many others.
To be determined how immediately ready Ertz is to play as he continues to recover from his knee injury.
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