The Philadelphia Eagles have a tight end problem, and it starts with their second-round pick. Tight end Eli Stowers is reportedly “unplayable” and is probably going to be inactive on game days. That is not what you want to hear about a Day 2 draft pick heading into the regular season.

Now, I’m not ready to cancel him out and call him a bust just yet. But the reality right now is that Stowers hasn’t shown anything to be excited about, not as a receiver and apparently not even as a blocker. That’s a problem.

Philadelphia’s tight end depth is paper thin

Outside of Dallas Goedert, who else do the Eagles really have at tight end? Honestly, nobody. They have a couple of camp bodies and that’s it. Goedert is still the guy, and I still think he’s going to have a productive season, but you never know with Goedert and his injury concerns. He’s getting older. The Eagles cannot go into this season banking on one tight end and a second-round pick who can’t get on the field.

So what’s the solution? It’s staring us right in the face.

Bring back Zach Ertz

The Philadelphia Eagles need to go out and sign Zach Ertz. We all know what he’s meant to this franchise. He’s one of the best tight ends in Eagles history, and even at this stage of his career, he can still contribute. Yes, he tore his ACL at the end of last season, but he’s been out there working out and has said he wants to play for a team. Ertz is expected to be ready to sign in mid-August. He had 116 catches for 1,158 yards and 11 touchdowns over the past two seasons. That’s production. That’s a guy who can still catch passes at a pretty high level, especially for his age.

I can’t think of a better scenario than Ertz coming back to be that second tight end, behind Goedert. Think about the storyline. Think about what that would mean for this city. And beyond the sentimentality, it just makes football sense. He would help this team catch passes, sure, but he’d also be a great mentor for Stowers and the rest of this young offense. That matters. Having a veteran like Ertz in the room showing a struggling second-round pick how to be a professional tight end at this level is invaluable.

We all know Ertz wants to be back in Philly. He went to Washington because he got a job there. That was it. He didn’t want to go there. He never wanted to leave Philadelphia in the first place, but the Eagles had to trade him because Goedert was emerging. Now the situation has come full circle. Goedert is the established starter, Stowers isn’t ready, and Ertz is a free agent looking for a home.

Bring him back. Let him end his career in Philadelphia. It’s only right.