CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - SEPTEMBER 28: Zach Ertz #86 of the Philadelphia Eagles looks on prior to the game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on September 28, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) Getty
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - OCTOBER 04: Zach Ertz #86 and Jalen Hurts #1 of the Philadelphia Eagles interact during the third quarter of the game against the Los Angeles Rams at Lincoln Financial Field on October 04, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) Getty
After Zach Ertz appeared in the Philadelphia Eagles' matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London, his future with the team became unclear.
As a practice squad player, Ertz only has three elevations available during the 2026 NFL season. The Jacksonville game in Week 5 was his final.
GettyCHICAGO, ILLINOIS – SEPTEMBER 28: Zach Ertz #86 of the Philadelphia Eagles looks on prior to the game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on September 28, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
As the Eagles head into Week 6 against the Carolina Panthers, Ertz has not been signed to the active roster. He won't get a chance to play.
"Zach Ertz is out of PS elevations and wasn't added to the 53. That means the TEs Sunday will be Dallas Goedert, Johnny Mundt, and EJ Jenkins. Eagles. I'm at least a little surprised by that," John McMullen of Eagles On SI reported.
With Dallas Goedert back, the Eagles have their true No. 1 tight end back in the mix for the second straight week.
Since Johnny Mundt is known for his blocking, and EJ Jenkins contributes to special teams, it made sense for the Eagles to leave Ertz as the odd-man-out. He won't take away targets from Goedert, who was off to a strong season at the start, before going down with his injury.
GettyPHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – OCTOBER 04: Zach Ertz #86 and Jalen Hurts #1 of the Philadelphia Eagles interact during the third quarter of the game against the Los Angeles Rams at Lincoln Financial Field on October 04, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
The 35-year-old veteran was still quite productive with the Washington Commanders last season before he went down with a torn ACL.
During the 2025 NFL season, Ertz appeared in 13 games. He caught 50 passes for 504 yards and four touchdowns. In the year before that, he had 66 catches for 654 yards in 17 games with the Commanders.
Since joining the Eagles, Ertz has caught three passes for 22 yards in three games. Considering the veteran quarterback Jalen Hurts likes to target the tight end, it's a sign that the connection simply wasn't there.
As long as Goedert's healthy, the Eagles aren't desperate for Ertz's services. Unfortunately, he wasn't a difference-maker through three weeks. If the Eagles start to slip and show that they clearly won't make a deep run, they might be better off seeing what they have out of the rookie Eli Stowers when he gets healthy again.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Zach Ertz Gets Bad News Before Eagles-Panthers Game appeared first on HEAVY .
