The Detroit Lions signed veteran tight end Zach Ertz on Monday. Ertz will be on the practice squad and could be elevated for the NFC Championship game against the San Francisco 49ers, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
In November, Ertz was released by the Arizona Cardinals and has been a free agent ever since. At the time of his release, he was on injured reserve with a quad strain. This season, he has 27 catches for 187 yards and a touchdown in just seven games. Ertz has had 709 catches for 7,434 yards and 46 touchdowns in his career, is a three-time Pro Bowler and won a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles.
The addition of Ertz is good news for the Lions. The Lions need help at tight end as their tight ends are dealing with injuries. Brock Wright suffered a forearm injury in the divisional game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and James Mitchell was put on injured reserve last week. Sam LaPorta was the only healthy tight end on the Lions roster, but he’s been dealing with a knee injury, so they had to put backup Anthony Firkser on the active roster.
Ertz will provide some much-needed depth at the tight end position that the Lions really need right now. He should play in the NFC championship game against the 49ers cause the Lions will need him. When the Cardinals played the 49ers in week four, Ertz had six catches for 53 yards. If he can have that kind of performance or better on Sunday, then the Lions could advance to the Super Bowl. Ertz can help the Lions make the Super Bowl and win it for the first time in franchise history.
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