The Eagles’ tight end situation has crossed from thin to urgent.
Rookie Eli Stowers landing on injured reserve only sharpened a problem that was already staring them in the face. Even before that move, Philadelphia needed a better answer behind the top option, because the current depth chart does not give the offense much juice in the passing game.
Johnny Mundt and E.J. Jenkins have not offered that.
Mundt has 74 catches for 658 yards and 4 touchdowns in nine NFL seasons, while Jenkins has just one catch for seven yards in 10 games. That kind of production makes it hard to lean on 12 and 13 personnel packages, especially if the Eagles want any real threat attached to those looks.
Stowers was not ready for Week 1, and the expectation is that even once he comes back, he probably won’t move the needle much. With him now sidelined, Philadelphia will need to add a fourth tight end to the 53-man roster if it wants to keep using multiple-tight-end sets.
One possible fix has already surfaced: Zach Ertz.
PHLY’s EJ Smith reported last week that a return for the franchise legend is on the table. Ertz is currently a free agent, and the fit is obvious on paper. He spent nine seasons with the Eagles from 2013-2021 and sits second in franchise history with 579 receptions.
He’s not the same player he was at his peak in Philadelphia, but Ertz was still productive last season for the Washington Commanders. Before tearing his ACL in December, he caught 50 passes for 504 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Any reunion would come with one major checkpoint: the Eagles would have to be comfortable with where he stands in his recovery. If they are, he’d give them more receiving upside than the current backup options, while allowing Mundt and Jenkins to focus more on blocking.
If Ertz isn’t the answer, then Philadelphia may need to look elsewhere through a trade later this fall. And if the Eagles get to Nov. 10, the NFL trade deadline, without making a move, that would come as a surprise.
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The timing of it all makes Week 1 against the Washington Commanders especially relevant, because early games tend to shape the public mood around a coach as much as the standings do. Sirianni has built a 59-26 regular-season record over five years and has never missed the playoffs, but the opening stretch now carries a different kind of weight, with fans likely to judge quickly whether the new setup looks like a real fix or just the first chapter in another season of questions. [Read more 🡒]
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Wicks brings some familiarity from his time with the Green Bay Packers, and his profile has already shown up in the betting market as well, where his receiving yard total against Washington has drawn attention. The prop action suggests people are looking beyond just the obvious names in Philadelphia, and if Wicks can carve out a steady share of the offense, the Eagles could have a much different Week 1 receiver rotation than many expected a few weeks ago. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Just Created A New Week 1 Tight End Concern
The Eagles headed into Week 1 with one more adjustment to their tight end room after placing Eli Stowers on injured reserve because of hamstring and quadriceps injuries. The move means Stowers cannot return to the active roster until after Week 4, a notable setback for a player who had been limited in practice but was still expected to be available before the injury situation caught up to him.
Britain Covey was temporarily elevated from the practice squad for the opener, giving Philadelphia a little more flexibility as it sorts through the early-season roster. For a team already trying to settle its offense, losing a tight end option this early adds another layer of uncertainty to a position group that now has to absorb the absence and move on quickly. [Read more 🡒]