Eagles place Zach Ertz on reserve/COVID-19 list [UPDATE]

UPDATE: Zach Ertz tested positive for COVID-19 but is vaccinated, according to Tom Pelissero. This means he can return to the 53-man roster if/when he produces two negative tests at least 24 hours apart. Thus, he still might be able to play against the Cowboys.

The Philadelphia Eagles placed veteran tight end Zach Ertz on the reserve/COVID-19 list on Monday afternoon, according to an official announcement from the team.

This news comes one day after Ertz played in the Eagles’ loss against the San Francisco 49ers.

It’s currently unclear if Ertz tested positive or was deemed a high-risk close contact with someone who did test positive. It’s also unclear if Ertz is vaccinated.

If Ertz did test positive and he’s vaccinated, he will need two negative tests at least 24 hours apart to return to the team. Again, it remains to be seen if that’s the case.

Ertz had a good training camp but it’s been a relatively slow start to the season for the 30-year-old. His 20.0 yards per game average is well below his 51.4 career mark. Then again, Jalen Hurts hasn’t exactly shown an affinity for throwing to tight ends. And Ertz has been dealing with a hamstring injury.

A potential silver lining is that the Eagles have more time before this week’s game against the Dallas Cowboys since it’s on Monday Night Football. It’s possible Ertz will be able to return to the roster before then but we’ll see.

In the meantime, Dallas Goedert and Jack Stoll are the only two tight ends on the 53-man roster. Nick Eubanks is the only tight end on the practice squad. Richard Rodgers is still on the market if the Eagles wanted to re-re-re-re-re-sign him.