Eagles bring Zach Ertz back on practice squad as Goedert recovers

The Eagles have signed Zach Ertz to their practice squad, bringing the veteran tight end back to Philadelphia five years after his first stint ended. The move gives the team an experienced option while Dallas Goedert recovers from a sprained MCL and rookie Eli Stowers remains on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. It does not, by itself, put Ertz on the active game roster.

Ertz is returning after a season-ending knee injury with Washington last December. The Eagles said he was unsigned during the offseason as he recovered. He will wear No. 86 again. The team has confirmed the signing; the next roster decision is whether to elevate him for a game or move him onto the 53-man roster. Managers should wait for that transaction before treating him as a guaranteed Week 3 contributor.

The timing is useful for Philadelphia. Goedert's injury left a thinner tight end room, and Stowers is already on IR. Ertz offers familiarity with the organization and a veteran receiving profile, though a practice-squad signing alone says little about snap share, blocking assignments or target volume. The Eagles play at Chicago on Monday, giving the staff several more days to choose its game-week personnel.

Ertz had 579 catches, 6,267 yards and 38 touchdowns during his first Philadelphia stint, according to the Eagles. Across his later stops with Arizona and Washington, the club credits him with another 246 catches for 2,325 yards and 19 touchdowns in 58 games. Those figures explain why the reunion draws attention, but his 2026 role has to be judged on current health and roster status rather than career totals.

The Eagles' own announcement and its September 22 social post confirm the reunion. NFL.com's separate report identifies the practice-squad designation and the injuries to Goedert and Stowers. For RSO managers, the practical watch is narrow: monitor Philadelphia's elevation or active-roster move, Goedert's next injury report, and the tight-end participation in Monday's game. The signing improves the club's options now; it does not settle who plays most of the snaps.