Cardinals' Zach Ertz headed to injured reserve for second time in two seasons
The Arizona Cardinals on Tuesday placed tight end Zach Ertz on injured reserve with what NFL Media reported is a quadriceps strain from last Sunday's game at Seattle.
Ertz played 35 snaps, or 53 percent of the Cardinals' offensive plays against the Seahawks. It wasn't clear when he was injured or if he left the game for an extended period of time.
Ertz has 27 catches for 187 yards with a touchdown this season. He's a three-time Pro Bowler in his fourth season with the Cardinals and 11th overall in the NFL, and is second on the team in targets with 43. He must miss at least four games before being eligible to return.
Ertz missed the second half of last season after suffering two knee injuries on the same play in a game against the Los Angeles Rams. The knee required surgery, and Ertz worked his way back to being ready to play in Week 1 of this season.
The Cardinals are deep at tight end with Trey McBride, Geoff Swaim and Elijah Higgins on the active roster. They also signed rookie Blake Whiteheart to the active roster and released safety K'Von Wallace in a corresponding move.
Wallace started five of his seven games with the Cardinals, stepping in for the previously injured Budda Baker, who returned to play last week at Seattle.
"Trey's done a nice job and we talked about that room as a whole and certainly Trey's a big part of that. So really encouraged by Trey, Geoff, Elijah, trust all three of those guys wholeheartedly to come in and not miss a beat and continue to play at a high level," Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Pertzing said. "And certainly Trey's plays, production, what he's done, what he brings the offense I think has shown up in a major way and expect that to continue."
Petzing added that the goal is for all of the tight ends to be versatile.
"As you watch those guys on tape and watch what they've done in the past, there are certain things that they (individually) may do better than others or at a higher level," Petzing said. "But the goal for all of them is to be well rounded, and to be able to show up in all three phases of the game, play on special teams, have an impact on multiple downs."
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona Cardinals place tight end Zach Ertz on injured reserve
