Why Zach Ertz Thinks He May Make Eagles Comeback As Soon As This Week

PHILADELPHIA – Zach Ertz is here to help the Eagles win games, not set records. He’ll probably do both, anyway. In a homecoming five years in the making, the tight end took to the team’s practice field on Thursday wearing an Eagles helmet. Again. And with butterflies filling his stomach.

It had been more than five years since he wore the Eagles' colors. He was traded to Arizona in October 2021, after spending the first 8½ years of his career in Philly as the team’s second-round draft pick in 2013. The first-round pick that year? Right tackle Lane Johnson. They are reunited again.

“Had a lot of emotions going through (Thursday),” said Ertz. “A lot of prayers going through (Thursday) just to try and center myself. There was definitely a lot of emotions. Being back with Lane was definitely special. You know, we started our career together 14 years ago, so to be able to be back with him, it's something special.”

The Eagles signed him to the practice squad early in Week 3.

“I never wanted to leave in the first place,” he said. “If you told me when I got hurt that I'd be back here in nine and a half months practicing for the Philadelphia Eagles, you could have signed me up then.”

Immediately, he brings a level of class and professionalism to the locker room. Not that the locker room needed it, but another player who brings that sort of persona is always welcome.

He’s not sure when he will impact the Eagles’ offense. Perhaps as soon as Monday night, when the Eagles visit the Chicago Bears. Dallas Goedert is expected to miss time with a knee injury, and Ertz will do everything he can to be ready for some kind of role. He said he hasn’t played in a Sean Mannion-style scheme and is taking a crash course.

“It’s been nine and a half months since I've played football, so there's still football shape to get in,” he said. “There's some details that I have to learn for a new offense. I'm trying to cram. I've spent the last two days really grinding through the training camp playbooks and trying to learn all those and teaching myself because the coaches here are grinding on the game plan for this week.”

He later added about a potential role on Monday: “It's up to the coaches. Obviously, I'm not even on the active roster right now, so for me, it's about going out there and proving that I can make a difference in the game. "

On Brink Of Breaking Hall Of Famer's Eagles' Record

Ertz is 11 catches away from passing Hall of Famer Harold Carmichael’s team record for career catches. Carmichael had 589; Ertz has 579. Carmichael set the mark from 1971-1983.

“I've said it my whole career, I've never gone out there and chased records,” said Ertz. “I'm not here to get 10, 11 catches. I'm here to try and make a difference, whether it's one catch or 10 catches or whatever it is, whatever role they need me to be, it is.

“I know it's probably a stigma that I'm only here to get that, but that couldn't be further from the truth. I wouldn't come back to the city of Philadelphia to start chasing individual stuff.”

That Ertz is back at all speaks to his passion for the game. He suffered a serious knee injury in December last year while playing for the Commanders. He could have easily decided against the grueling rehab process and moved on with life.

But the tight end didn’t want his career to end with a towel over his head as he was being carted off the field against the Vikings in Minnesota. He said his knee feels fine.

“When I got hurt, I really didn't know if I was gonna be able to play football again,” he said. “It was a year 13, bad ACL, LCL injury. It was a, a very violent injury the way it happened, but I told myself I was gonna do everything I can to give myself a shot to not go out like that, so, I really committed myself.”

He credited his wife , Julie, for being “a rock” during the rehab and he wanted to set an example for his sons.

“I wanna give (them) something to look forward to or look at when they're going through some adversity, like, ‘Hey, Dad went through a really tough time.’ … I was gonna do everything I could to get back, and I could live with those results. But if I couldn't, then I would know I'd be at peace. But I couldn't live with the fact that I just gave up, and there was a what if hanging over my life for the rest of my life.”

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