With tight end Brock Wright on injured reserve due to a broken forearm, the Detroit Lions signed defensive lineman Tyson Alualu and tight end Zach Ertz off the practice squad on Wednesday. Prior to a team confirmation arriving later in the afternoon, Lions head coach Dan Campbell verified on Wednesday that Ertz was present in the facility and had passed a physical examination. In an attempt to join a Super Bowl contender, Ertz participated in his first practice since being cut by the Arizona Cardinals. The NFC title game between the Lions and 49ers is scheduled for this Sunday.
Due to injury, Alualu has played in the last four Lions games. More important than conditioning is getting Ertz up to speed with the offense, according to Campbell. “I am aware of his fitness. We need to assess this and determine his current state. He’s performed well; the question now is whether this is the right week to employ him, according to Campbell. Ertz was a member of the Philadelphia Eagles who won Super Bowl LII.
Sam LaPorta, a rookie, was the Lions’ starting tight end this season, with Wright coming in second. In the second quarter of the NFC Divisional Playoff victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, he suffered a broken forearm. Three-time Pro Bowl pick Ertz caught 27 catches for 187 yards and one touchdown in seven games for the struggling Cardinals in 2023. On October 1, he caught six passes for 63 yards while playing for the Cardinals in San Francisco.
With the Eagles (2013–21) and Cardinals (2021-23) in 151 career games (113 starts), Ertz has 709 receptions for 7,434 yards and 46 touchdowns. Ertz is known to Lions tight ends coach Steve Heiden, who coached the same position for the Cardinals from 2019 to 22.
