Lions sign tight end Zach Ertz

According to ESPN on Monday, the Detroit Lions have signed tight end Zach Ertz of Orange, California. The Lions become the third National Football League franchise he has played for following nine seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles (from 2013 to 2021), and three seasons with the Arizona Cardinals (from 2021 to 2023). The Lions were able to come to terms with Ertz, after he was released from his contract with Arizona on October 24.

In 2023, Ertz had 27 catches for 187 receiving yards and one touchdown. His major score was for four yards in a 34-20 Cardinals loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on October 8. The reason for Ertz’s release was because the Cardinals could develop second-year tight end Trey McBride. The native of Greeley, Colorado finished the season with 81 catches for 825 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

The reason why the Lions went out and got a tight end this late in the season is because their backup tight end, Brock Wright of Cypress, Texas, suffered a forearm injury in the Lions’s 31-23 NFC Divisional Playoff win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.

Ertz meanwhile has been selected to the Pro Bowl thrice. He had 74 catches for 824 receiving yards and eight touchdowns in 2017, a career-high 116 catches for 1163 receiving yards (also a career-high) and eight touchdowns in 2018, and 88 catches for 916 yards and six touchdowns in 2019. Ertz actually has the NFL record for the most receptions in a season by a tight end. Also with the Eagles, Ertz won a Super Bowl. In Super Bowl LII, Ertz had seven catches for 67 yards and one touchdown in a 41-33 Philadelphia win over the New England Patriots.

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