Five days after signing with Detroit, tight end Zach Ertz will have to wait for his Lions debut.
On Saturday, ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler reported that Ertz won’t be activated from the practice squad for Sunday’s NFC championship game against the 49ers.
Ertz began the season with the Cardinals and suffered a quad injury on Oct. 23 and was placed on injured reserve. He was released on Nov. 30.
A Super Bowl winner with the Eagles in 2017-18, Ertz had 27 receptions, 187 yards and a touchdown this season. During Philadelphia’s Super Bowl run, the 12-year tight end had 18 receptions, 192 yards and a touchdown in the postseason. He had his best season the following year, finishing 2018 with 116 receptions, 1,163 yards and eight touchdowns.
On Friday, Lions quarterback Jared Goff praised Ertz’s work ethic, suggesting the 33-year-old tight end could play against San Francisco.
“He’s picked it up extremely fast… Really impressive, not that you didn’t expect that from a guy like him who’s been around for so long,” said Goff.
With rookie tight end Sam LaPorta removed from the injury report after suffering a knee injury in the regular-season finale, adding Ertz to the active roster wasn’t essential.
LaPorta has 86 receptions for 889 yards this season, the fifth-most among tight ends. In the Super Bowl era, his 10 touchdown receptions are tied with Rob Gronkowski for the most by a rookie tight end, via Stathead.
However, just because Ertz won’t play in the NFC Championship Game doesn’t mean Detroit hasn’t benefitted from adding him.
Goff shared that Ertz’s previous history on a Super Bowl-winning team has helped the young Lions. “Having guys be able to see that on the field every day is fun,” he said.
If Detroit wins on Sunday, it will have two more weeks of fun. And maybe Ertz will be activated for the Super Bowl.
