NFL Rumors: Eagles Have Inquired About Zach Ertz After Cardinals Release

The Philadelphia Eagles made a much-needed splash on the defensive side of the ball on Monday, signing veteran linebacker Shaquille Leonard to bolster a beleaguered defense.

But they may not be upgrading the roster.

According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, the has also "inquired on old friend Zach Ertz, who is still evaluating options as of this afternoon, per source."

B/R's Jordan Schultz previously reported that the Eagles, Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs were the frontrunners to sign the veteran tight end:

Fox Sports' Peter Schrager reported something similar on Sunday:

Ertz, 33, asked for his release from the struggling Arizona Cardinals this season and was granted it before clearing waivers and becoming a free agent.

He was traded from Philadelphia to the Cardinals in the 2021 season and has registered 130 catches for 1,167 yards and eight touchdowns across 28 games during that time.

He started his career with the Eagles, spending parts of nine seasons with the team and earning three Pro Bowl bids and a Super Bowl title along the way.

The Eagles chose to trade him in 2021 as Dallas Goedert assumed a larger role in the offense. But with Goedert currently injured and the Eagles ostensibly interested in surrounding Jalen Hurts with as many weapons as possible to gear up for a potential Super Bowl run, bringing back Ertz would make plenty of sense.

Surrounding Hurts with Goedert, Ertz, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Julio Jones and DeAndre Swift—alongside arguably the best offensive line in football—would make the Philly offense pretty scary.

But other contenders would equally make sense, namely a Ravens team that lost a huge part of its offensive identity when tight end Mark Andrews was potentially lost for the season with ankle ligament damage and a cracked fibula.

Ertz wouldn't be a like-for-like replacement for Andrews, but he would give superstar quarterback Lamar Jackson another weapon in the passing game as the Ravens gear up for a Super Bowl push of their own.