Zach Ertz tore his ACL in Week 14 last season, spent months rehabbing, and entered the 2026 season without a team. He remained a free agent until Dallas Goedert went down in Week 2, and suddenly the situation flipped. Philadelphia traded Ertz to the Arizona Cardinals in October 2021, ending an eight-plus-year run that included a Super Bowl title. Five years later, the Eagles are bringing that same familiar face back to a tight end room suddenly hit by injuries.

That need became urgent in Week 2. Dallas Goedert suffered a sprained MCL in the second quarter of Philadelphia’s 24-20 win over Tennessee, finishing with just one catch for four yards before exiting for good. With Goedert expected to miss multiple weeks and Eli Stowers and Grant Calcaterra already on injured reserve, the Eagles were left with Johnny Mundt and E.J. Jenkins as their only healthy tight ends on the 53-man roster. At 2-0, Philadelphia suddenly had a thin position group, and Ertz went from an unsigned veteran to an obvious solution.

“Three-time Pro-Bowl tight end Zach Ertz, who played in Philadelphia from 2013-‘21 and helped the team win its first Super Bowl, is returning to the city and signing with the Eagles practice squad, per sources,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on X. “The Eagles lost TE Dallas Goedert to a sprained MCL and now are turning to Ertz, who spent the past two seasons in Washington.”

Philadelphia is 2-0, but neither win has looked comfortable.

The Eagles edged Washington 24-22 in Week 1, then needed a last-second Jalen Hurts touchdown to escape Tennessee 24-20 after trailing 20-17 late in the fourth quarter.

Now they head to Chicago for Monday Night Football with Goedert expected to miss time and their tight end depth already stretched thin. Still, the Week 3 outlook has moved sharply toward Philadelphia because Chicago is dealing with an even bigger question at quarterback.

The Bears opened as 1.5-point favorites, but Caleb Williams’ hamstring injury completely flipped the line, with the Eagles now favored by 4.5 points on the road.

The total also dropped from 46.5 to 43.5, reflecting the uncertainty surrounding Chicago’s offense, while Philadelphia sits at -205 on the moneyline. If Williams cannot play, Tyson Bagent would be in line to start.

The Eagles also went 4-3 against the spread as road favorites last season, so despite two narrow wins and a thinner offense without Goedert, Philadelphia enters Week 3 as the betting favorite. And with their starting tight end sidelined, they did not have to look far for help. Ertz was still unsigned, healthy enough to return, and already knew the organization inside out.

Through 181 regular-season games, Ertz has caught 825 passes for 8,592 yards and 57 touchdowns, while recording 12 games with at least 10 receptions and nine seasons with 50 or more catches. Much of that résumé was built in Philadelphia, where the Eagles selected him in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft and kept him for more than eight seasons. That run ended in October 2021 when Philadelphia traded him away, but Ertz never hid how much the city meant to him or his desire to eventually return. Five years later, that possibility has finally turned into reality.

“This is home. Philadelphia is home,” Ertz said following his trade five years ago. “And that was tough to articulate to people, that I love this place, I’ve said it all along. It’s a great opportunity to be here and I loved it here. I did the best I could every day and I can leave knowing that and this isn’t going to be the last you’re going to see of me in this city.”

Ertz’s departure from Philadelphia was emotional even before the trade became official. After what turned out to be his final game with the Eagles, he said he cried at his locker for about 30 minutes because he knew a move was coming. He also made clear why Philadelphia meant so much to him, saying he loved how honest and blunt the fans were and how high their standards remained.

Five years later, that connection matters again. And this reunion was not created solely by Goedert’s injury, because Howie Roseman had already acknowledged that he had been speaking with Ertz while the veteran rehabbed his ACL.

Howie Roseman Had Already Kept the Door Open for Zach Ertz

Howie Roseman did not suddenly think of Zach Ertz after Dallas Goedert went down. The Eagles’ general manager had already been in contact with his former tight end while Ertz worked his way back from the ACL tear.

“First, I’d say what an unbelievable player, what an unbelievable person, tremendous respect for him,” Roseman said. “At the same time, love what we have going in our tight end room, too. I would say, have talked to Zach over a period of time, obviously rehabbing his ACL, and (have a good) relationship, just like a lot of our former players who’ve been here.

“But like anything else, wouldn’t get into any conversations about anything other than from a big-picture perspective. In my opinion, one of the greatest tight ends to play the game and just tremendous respect for him, and also excited about the tight ends that we have here.”

At the time, Philadelphia did not need to make a move. Goedert was healthy, and Roseman was publicly backing the tight ends already on the roster. Week 2 changed that fast. Goedert’s MCL sprain left the Eagles scrambling for experienced help, and the veteran Roseman had already been speaking with was still sitting there unsigned. Five years after Philadelphia traded Ertz away, the same franchise now has a reason to bring its former Super Bowl hero back.