Earlier this week, Doug Pederson said he was optimistic that Zach Ertz would make his return from the Injured Reserve list in time to play against the Seahawks on Monday Night Football.
Not so fast.
“It’s been good to have Zach back on the practice field, however, we’re still a little cautious with him,” Pederson said on Saturday morning. “We’ll get through today but I don’t think he’ll be able to make this game. I’m hoping that next week he’ll be available.”
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Ertz would need to be activated off IR by 4 p.m. on Sunday in order to play on Monday. It doesn’t sound like that’s going to happen.
Ertz, 30, has been on IR with an ankle injury since Oct. 22. The Eagles activated his three-week practice window last week. Typically this season, the Eagles activate a player’s practice window and they miss that first game but are back in the second week. It’s taking Ertz a little longer.
Was there a setback?
“No setback,” Pederson said. “I was optimistic. You get through a week of practice and really just feeling Zach out a little bit too. There’s no setback, there’s no nothing. Just the fact that he probably won’t be ready.”
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Pederson said he’s hopeful that Ertz will be available next week but the Eagles will have a decision to make if he isn’t. The three-week practice window will expire at the end of next week so the Eagles will need to either activate him off IR or shut him down for the season.
Even before his injury, the 2020 season wasn’t going well for Ertz. In six games, he had just 24 catches for 178 yards and a touchdown. With the injury included this is shaping up to be the worst season of his eight-year career.
Before the season began, Ertz’s camp and the Eagles broke off contract talks, which led Ertz to state publicly that he wasn’t sure the Eagles really wanted him to be here long-term. Then there was a heated discussion between Ertz and GM Howie Roseman at the NovaCare Complex.
Had Ertz not been injured, there was a good chance that he would have been traded prior to the trade deadline. But that couldn’t happen because of the injury.
If Ertz can get back on the field this season and be productive, he can help his value rise, which would help him and the Eagles.
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