The Detroit Lions are making a playoff splash, signing former Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl champion tight end Zach Ertz to their practice squad. There’s a chance Ertz will be elevated before Sunday’s NFC Championship game vs. the San Francisco 49ers, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
Ertz was on the Arizona Cardinals roster until late November, when the team granted his request to be released so he could sign on to a contender and chase a second Super Bowl ring.
Though it took him longer than anticipated to find that team, he’s finally got a chance to hoist the Lombardi again.
Three-time Pro Bowl TE Zach Ertz is signing with the #Lions, per sources.
Ertz will start out on the practice squad, with plans to potentially elevate him for the NFC Championship Game. A boost for the final stretch. pic.twitter.com/0vaDCwUvQu
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 22, 2024
The Lions made the move after losing backup tight end Brock Wright to an injury during Sunday’s playoff win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Head coach Dan Campbell said Wright’s availability for championship Sunday “doesn’t look real good,” according to Detroit Free Press
Zach Ertz Gives Emotional Press Conference
With Wright hurt, rookie tight end sensation Sam LaPorta is the only healthy tight end on the Lions roster, at least until Ertz gets officially called up. (RELATED: Wide Right AGAIN! Bills Fall to Chiefs In Heartbreaking Fashion)
GLENDALE, ARIZONA – OCTOBER 28: Zach Ertz #86 of the Arizona Cardinals reacts after a first down during the second half of a game against the Green Bay Packers State Farm Stadium on October 28, 2021 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
LaPorta, for his part, isn’t even fully healthy. The breakout star only just returned from a hyperextended knee and is still wearing a knee brace.
That means Ertz could be more than just a placeholder in the Lions’ offensive game plan. While they do have two solid fullbacks who can step into a blocking role, Ertz gives Detroit a pass-catching tight end with Super Bowl experience.
Ertz caught the game winning touchdown of Super Bowl LII in 2018, propelling the Philadelphia Eagles over the juggernaut New England Patriots.
The Lions will have their own juggernaut to face Sunday in the vaunted NFC powerhouse, the 49ers. Equipped with weapons galore on offense, it’s the 49ers’ defense and mighty linebacker duo that may have pushed the Lions to bring in Ertz.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – FEBRUARY 04: Zach Ertz #86 of the Philadelphia Eagles dives into the endzone for a 11-yard touchdown against the New England Patriots during the fourth quarter in Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium on February 4, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw have made their impact on the field for the ‘9ers, prompting many to call them the best linebacker duo in the game, so Ertz will definitely have his work cut out for him.
I’m super pumped to see what he can do with LaPorta in tandem though. Together they could be dangerous, that is, if Ertz still has some juice in him.