Ertz so good? Eagles should eye TE reunion

The Eagles have a lot of holes to fill, and one of them is likely to be at tight end. 

It's seeming more and more likely that free agent Dallas Goedert will not be back next season, and there is a thought that the Eagles might use their first round pick (No. 23 overall) to select their next tight end.

Even ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper has the Eagles selecting a tight end, suggesting they could target Oregon's Kenyon Sadiq with that first round pick. 

There had been rumors that the Eagles could target Atlanta tight end Kyle Pitts in free agency, but new Falcons GM Ian Cunningham (formerly in the Eagles front office) announced on Tuesday that Atlanta will put the franchise tag on Pitts, all but taking him off the market. 

New Falcons GM Ian Cunningham (and former Eagles exec) used to DVR the combine while at Virginia. He watched the GM press conferences.

“It’s pretty surreal” to be here, Cunningham said.

Cunningham shares that they’ll officially put the franchise tag on Kyle Pitts today. pic.twitter.com/oYiepFzM9g

— Zach Berman (@ZBerm) February 24, 2026

It's a smart move by the Falcons, but might Cunningham have known the Eagles would be sniffing around Pitts, prompting that tag?

Regardless, the Eagles are going to be looking to add to their tight end room. Not just because they are likely to lose Goedert, but because their TE2, Grant Calcaterra, is also a free agent.

Which makes the following idea somewhat interesting:

Great News: Free agent TE Zach Ertz will NOT be retiring and is expected to be cleared around Week 1 after tearing his ACL this past season.

Many thought the injury would end his career.

The Eagles have been heavily linked to him 👀 pic.twitter.com/wFsvnuXNX0

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) February 25, 2026

While these kinds of reports aren't always the most reliable, it does bring up a question:

Could a reunion with Zach Ertz make sense? Let him come back and finish his career where it started?

It would be great from a nostalgia perspective, but how about from an actual helping a stagnant offense perspective? 

It's a risk, but probably one worth considering for a TE2.

While there is no guarantee that Ertz can be anywhere close to the same player coming off an ACL tear and approaching his 36th birthday during next season, there is something to be said for familiarity with the player - knowing how he trains, how he responds to injury and seeing that he was still a productive tight end last year prior to the injury. 

He had 50 catches for 504 yards and four touchdowns on 72 targets in 13 games for the Washington Commanders. His 10.1 yards per catch was his best average since 2021, his last season with the Eagles (he was traded that season at the deadline to Arizona).  

Having a guy like that in that room would be a boost, especially as the second option, knowing he can provide veteran leadership, if you do draft a tight end to eventually be the No. 1 guy, and also to serve as a capable replacement to the TE1 role in case of injury. 

And it's likely not going to be an expensive signing. We're talking a one-year deal here for a mid-30s guy coming off an injury. What's that market value? Say, $2.5 million? This isn't going to be something that breaks the bank. 

Sure, the Eagles would have to do more than have Ertz and a possible rookie at the position. Maybe they go in another direction in the first round (O-line? Cornerback?) and draft a tight end in a later round and develop him for a season behind Ertz and another veteran who they would bring in.

It would be a greater gamble if Ertz is being brought in as the primary tight end for next season, because there is so much unknown, but even then, while you are still crossing your fingers, you aren't clenching them together as tightly because you know if there's a guy who can come back off that injury and still be a productive starter in the NFL, Ertz is it.

Anyway you slice it though, reconnecting Ertz with the Eagles would be a win-win.