Lions Signing Three-Time Pro Bowler Ahead Of NFC Championship: Report

Three-time Pro Bowl tight end Zach Ertz is reportedly signing with the Detroit Lions ahead of the NFC Championship Game, sources with knowledge of the situation confirmed to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero on Monday (January 22).

"Three-time Pro Bowl TE Zach Ertz is signing with the #Lions, per sources. Ertz will start out on the practice squad, with plans to potentially elevate him for the NFC Championship Game. A boost for the final stretch," Pelissero wrote on his X account.

Ertz, 33, has been a free agent since being waived by the Arizona Cardinals in November. The reported signing comes after No. 2 tight end Brock Wright suffered a forearm injury during Sunday's (January 21) win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Divisional Round.

"Detroit lost No. 2 tight end Brock Wright to a forearm injury Sunday. Now they add Ertz, who reunites with his former TEs coach from Arizona, Steve Heiden, and should be able to get up to speed quickly," Pelissero wrote.

Ertz, who suffered a season-ending knee injury last November, made seven starts for the Cardinals in 2023, recording 27 receptions for 187 yards and one touchdown. The 33-year-old signed a three-year, $31.65 million extension with the Cardinals during the 2022 offseason after being acquired by the franchise in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles midway through the 2021 season.

Ertz was selected by Philadelphia at No. 35 overall in the second-round of the 2013 NFL Draft and was a three-time Pro Bowl selection, which included the 2017 season in which the Eagles won their first Super Bowl in franchise history.

Ertz is also the husband of retired former USWNT midfielder and U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year Julie Ertz, who gave birth to their first child in 2022.