The Detroit Lions are signing free agent tight end Zach Ertz to the practice squad, giving them needed depth at the position after Brock Wright was lost to injury for the season, NFL Network reported Monday.
The Arizona Cardinals released Ertz earlier this season to give him an opportunity to join a Super Bowl contender, and that’s just what he did. The Lions will meet the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday in the NFC title game.
Ertz won Super Bowl LII as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles.
The 33-year-old will begin on the practice squad but could be elevated to the 53-man roster before Sunday’s game.
Wright was the No. 2 tight end for the Lions this season, behind rookie Sam LaPorta. He broke a forearm in the second quarter of Sunday’s NFC Divisional Playoff win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Ertz, a three-time Pro Bowl selection, played in seven games for the struggling Cardinals in 2023, catching 27 passes for 187 yards with one touchdown.
In 151 career games (113 starts) with the Eagles (2013-21) and Cardinals (2021-23), Ertz has 709 receptions for 7,434 yards with 46 touchdowns.
Lions tight ends coach Steve Heiden is familiar with Ertz, having coached the same position for the Cardinals from 2019-22.
–Field Level Media
The Sacramento Kings are making progress as the All-Star break looms. The New Orleans Pelicans are in one their worst stretches of a very bad season. The teams will meet…
Max Christie is making a strong first impression with the Dallas Mavericks, who host the Miami Heat on Thursday in the final game before the All-Star break for both teams….
Having avoided playing Tari Eason and Steven Adams in back-to-back games, Houston Rockets coach Ime Udoka utilized both against the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday, with Eason thriving in a 119-111…
New-look Mavs hope to enter break on high note
Rockets hope roster experiments keep paying off
Top 25 roundup: JT Toppin leads No. 12 Texas Tech to wild win
NBA roundup: Jamal Murray’s 55 lift Nuggets over Blazers