Detroit Lions elevate 2 from practice squad; Zach Ertz won't play vs. 49ers
After three days of practice, the Detroit Lions decided to do without Zach Ertz for Sunday's NFC championship game.
Ertz was not one of the two players the Lions elevated from the practice squad to the gameday roster Saturday, making him ineligible to play Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers.
The Lions signed Ertz to their practice squad Wednesday to bolster a tight end room left shorthanded by injury. Brock Wright suffered a forearm injury in last week's win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and will miss the remainder of the season, and the Lions placed James Mitchell on injured reserve following hand surgery earlier this month.
Sam LaPorta, who continues to place with a support brace on the knee he hyperextended in the Lions' Week 18 win over the Minnesota Vikings, and Anthony Firkser are the team's only healthy tight ends.
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Lions coach Dan Campbell said Wednesday he wasn't sure what Ertz's role would be this weekend, and Ertz said he had no expectation of playing but was confident he would "get up to speed quickly from a mental standpoint" if needed.
The Lions elevated fullback Jason Cabinda and offensive lineman Michael Schofield to their gameday roster Saturday. Cabinda can play as a third tight end and contributes on special teams, while Schofield adds depth to an offensive line that will be without starting left guard Jonah Jackson because of a knee injury.
"He’s picked it up extremely fast, he really has," Lions quarterback Jared Goff said Friday of Ertz. "And really impressive, not that you didn’t expect that from a guy like him who’s been around for so long. And I’ve known him here and there throughout the years and just hearing about how smart he is and how well he can pick up things, he’s done it really well this week."
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Ertz, who has 709 catches in his 11-year career, still could make his Lions debut in two weeks — if the Lions beat the 49ers on Sunday to advance to the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history.
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions elevate 2 from practice squad, but not Zach Ertz
