Who Should I Start? Zach Ertz or Durham Smythe

Monday, August 31, 9:05 AM

A reunion with the Philadelphia Eagles and free-agent veteran tight end Zach Ertz (knee) is on the table, league sources told EJ Smith of PHLY Sports. The Eagles are carrying Dallas Goedert, Johnny Mundt, rookie Eli Stowers, and EJ Jenkins at the tight end position on their initial 53-man roster, but Smith writes that the room "still lacks solid depth" if Goedert misses time with an injury, as he has in four of the last five seasons. Nothing is imminent with Ertz, as the 35-year-old is nearing the nine-month recovery mark from a season-ending ACL tear he suffered on Dec. 7. Ertz, who had 50 catches for 504 yards in 13 games last year before his injury, would be a welcome addition for the Eagles in his 14th NFL season. He was cleared for football activities earlier this month. If the Eagles reunite with Ertz, he could potentially be next in line as Philly's top pass-catching option at TE if Goedert were to go down with another injury in 2026. Ertz was a former second-rounder by the Eagles in 2013 out of Stanford, and he spent the first eight years of his NFL career with the team, earning three trips to the Pro Bowl from 2017-2019.