Former Arizona Cardinals tight end Zach Ertz to sign with Detroit Lions, per reports
It took nearly two months but after asking and being granted his release by the Arizona Cardinals to join a potential Super Bowl contender, veteran tight end Zach Ertz finally has found a new home.
According to multiple reports, Ertz is signing with the Detroit Lions.
The three-time Pro Bowl selection will be joining Detroit’s practice squad to start, and it’s assumed he will be elevated to the active roster for Sunday’s NFC Championship game in Santa Clara, Calif. between the Lions and the San Francisco 49ers.
Ertz’s arrival comes two days after Lions tight end Brock Wright suffered a forearm injury during Detroit’s NFC divisional round victory over the Buccaneers. Rookie Sam LaPorta, who just returned from a knee injury, was the only healthy tight end on the roster. Coach Dan Campbell said Wright’s availability for Sunday’s Championship game “didn’t look good.”
Ertz, 33, won a Super Bowl with the Eagles in 2018 and had hopes of winning another before considering retirement. He joined the Cardinals in an October 2021 trade for cornerback Tay Gowan and a fifth-round draft pick and Arizona was 10-2 before a late-season fade that ended with a Wild Card playoff loss on the road to the Rams.
Ertz suffered a torn ACL the following season after signing a three-year, $31.6 million extension with the Cardinals, and appeared in seven games for Arizona this past season before asking for his release.
In 28 games for the Cardinals, had 130 receptions for 1,167 yards and eight touchdowns. The 12-year pro has 709 receptions in his career for 7,434 yards and 46 touchdowns. He ranks eighth all-time among NFL tight ends in career catches and 12th in total receiving yards.
Ertz had been on injured reserve with a quadriceps strain at the time he asked for his release by the Cardinals on Nov. 30. His former position coach, Steve Heiden, is the Lions’ tight end coach.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Zach Ertz to sign with the Detroit Lions, per reports
