Cardinals' Zach Ertz Reportedly Expected to Miss Multiple Weeks with Knee Injury
Arizona Cardinals tight end Zach Ertz is expected to miss multiple weeks after being carted off the field during Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Rams in the first quarter with a knee injury, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Ertz had one catch for 12 yards before exiting.
The 32-year-old veteran is in the midst of his 10th NFL campaign and his first full season with the Cardinals after spending the first nine years and 123 regular-season games of his career with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Entering Sunday's game, Ertz had caught 46 passes for 394 yards and four touchdowns in nine games for the Cardinals this season.
While Ertz began the 2021 season with the Eagles and appeared in six games for Philly, he was traded to Arizona on Oct. 15, 2021, in exchange for a 2022 fifth-round pick and defensive back Tay Gowan.
He was highly effective for the Cards, recording 56 receptions for 574 yards and three touchdowns in 11 games.
Ertz was once among the top tight ends in the NFL, earning Pro Bowl nods in three straight seasons from 2017 to 2019. That run was part of a remarkable streak that saw him finish with at least 800 receiving yards in five straight seasons from 2015 to 2019.
During that five-year period, Ertz averaged 86.2 receptions for 914.4 yards and 5.6 touchdowns per season.
His best year came in 2018, when he set career highs across the board with 116 receptions for 1,163 yards and eight touchdowns.
Things fell apart for Ertz on multiple fronts in 2020, resulting in the worst statistical campaign of his career.
Ertz missed five games because of injury and wasn't particularly effective when he played, finishing with 36 receptions for 335 yards and just one touchdown.
The poor quarterback play of Carson Wentz did Ertz no favors last season, and his production didn't get any better when Jalen Hurts took over the starting job.
In addition to Ertz dealing with quarterback issues, he was the subject of trade rumors throughout the season because of his desire to move on.
The trade rumors followed him throughout the offseason, and it eventually came to pass after the Cards lost tight end Maxx Williams for the season with a knee injury.
Ertz's injury is a huge blow to an offense that was already missing quarterback Kyler Murray, who is out with a hamstring injury. Without Ertz, backup quarterback Colt McCoy is likely to primarily focus on distributing the ball to his strong group of wide receivers, including DeAndre Hopkins, Robbie Anderson, A.J. Green and Rondale Moore.
As far as the tight end position goes, look for Trey McBride and Stephen Anderson to take on increased responsibilities.
