Cardinals TE Zach Ertz Recovering from ACL Tear; Play Week 1 vs. Commanders?
With all NFL rosters down to 53 players, focus is now shifting towards the season openers, which begin next Thursday.
For the Washington Commanders, they will have to wait until the Sunday slate of games when they host the Arizona Cardinals at FedEx Field.
There are a lot of question marks surrounding who will suit up for the Cardinals in Week 1, especially at the quarterback position. However, there also is uncertainty surrounding veteran tight end Zach Ertz's status.
“I don’t think it’s for certain by any means,” Ertz said of his status to play Week 1. "Still some things I need to go through. I need to see how I recover and practice consistent days in a row ... I gotta earn the trust of my teammates, the coaches. I don't expect them to just plug me in there."
Ertz, 32, is entering his second full season with the Cardinals. But his 2022 campaign was cut short after tearing his ACL in Week 10, and he hasn't played since.
Ertz was named to the team's 53-man roster, giving him the opportunity to play if he is healthy enough. The team could have placed him on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) List, like it did with quarterback Kyler Murray, but opted to put him on the roster instead.
Ertz and the Cardinals will monitor his status in the days leading up to the opener against the Commanders, which comes on Sunday, Sept. 10 at 1 p.m. at FedEx Field.
