Philadelphia Eagles tight end Zach Ertz (86) celebrates after a play against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Lincoln Financial Field.
Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
For the first time in what felt like a decade, the Philadelphia Eagles decided to go all-in on the tight end position heading into 2026, keeping four – Dallas Goedert, Eli Stowers, EJ Jenkins, and Johnny Mundt – on their initial 53-man roster.
And then, there were three.
After initially signaling that he'd likely be making his NFL debut in Week 1, Stowers has instead been placed on IR with a combination hamtring/quad injury, freeing up a spot on the 53-man roster and a spot in Sean Mannion's tight end rotation.
Could that spot be filled by former Philly fan favorite Zach Ertz, who has been linked to the team seemingly all summer long? According to The Athletic's Zach Berman, it certainly looks like that's a growing possibility.
“Stowers was questionable with a hamstring injury. There had been optimism that he would be eligible to play. The quadriceps injury is a new one. He underwent imaging after reporting discomfort. And it was determined he had a strain that will require a weeks-long absence,” Berman wrote.
“This also will heighten the speculation about Zach Ertz, who remains a free agent. Ertz is 10 catches behind Harold Carmichael on the franchise’s all-time receptions list. There’s long been interest in a return to Philly.”
Initially drafted in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft out of Stanford, Ertz has quietly turned in one of the most prolific careers of any modern-day tight end, catching 825 balls for 8,592 yards and 57 touchdowns over the last 13 seasons. While breaking Carmichael's franchise record would be a massive accomplishment few expected when the Eagles traded Ertz to the Arizona Cardinals back in 2021, with Stowers unable to contribute right away, Philadelphia could actually use No. 86 back on the field too as they look to make it to a third Super Bowl in five years.