Latest injury situation makes a reunion with an old friend even more appealing for Eagles
Philadelphia’s tight end room is in rough shape heading into Monday night, and one familiar face is sitting by the phone.
The Philadelphia Eagles have a glaring problem at tight end, and it needs to be addressed before Monday night. Dallas Goedert is injured again, Eli Stowers has not lived up to the hype and is on injured reserve, and Johnny Mundt is not a pass-catcher. The Eagles’ tight end room is in crisis mode heading into a massive primetime game against the Chicago Bears, and there is one obvious solution sitting at home waiting for the call.
Zach Ertz is the best possible answer right now
I love Dallas Goedert. He’s been a legitimate weapon for this team when healthy. The problem is that the “when healthy” part keeps coming up. Goedert gets hurt a lot, and now the Eagles are staring down another stretch without their top tight end at a time when they absolutely cannot afford it.
We saw what Sean Mannion was able to scheme up with Goedert in Week 1. The tight end position is a real part of this offense when the right player is out there. Without Goedert, though, who is stepping into that role? Mundt is a great blocker. That’s it. He is not capable of being a starting tight end for the Philadelphia Eagles in the passing game. And Stowers landing on IR only makes this situation worse.
So where does that leave us? Zach Ertz. Sitting at home, probably with his phone right next to him, waiting for Howie Roseman’s name to pop up on the screen.
I said this weeks ago, and now I’m doubling down. The Eagles need to bring Ertz back. He’s probably the best option available right now. He has the experience, he knows this city, he loves Philadelphia, and he can still contribute as a pass-catcher. Is he the Zach Ertz of 2018? No. But you don’t need him to be. You need a tight end who can run routes, catch the football, and give Jalen Hurts a reliable target over the middle. Ertz checks every one of those boxes.
And look, the fact that Ertz is 11 catches away from being the Eagles’ all-time receptions leader is a nice storyline, but that’s not what this is about. This is about production and winning football games. The Eagles are heading into a Monday night spotlight, and they cannot roll out there with a tight end room that has zero proven pass-catching ability.
Howie Roseman has never been afraid to make a move when the roster needs one. This is one of those moments. Ertz is available, and the need is urgent. I would not be surprised if Zach Ertz is a Philadelphia Eagle within the next couple of days. It has to happen. Simple as that.
