Cardinals acquire TE Zach Ertz in trade with Eagles

The Arizona Cardinals have acquired tight end Zach Ertz from the Philadelphia Eagles in return for rookie cornerback Tay Gowan and a 2022 fifth-round pick.

The move comes after Arizona lost starting tight end Maxx Williams to a season-ending knee injury Sunday in a Week 5 win against the San Francisco 49ers. Williams made 16 catches on 17 targets for 193 yards and one touchdown through the first five games before his injury.

Ertz entered the year on shaky ground with the Eagles and with his future up in the air after extension talks broke off last year and the team looked at trade offers for him this offseason, but he seemingly had made amends with the front office.

Because the tight end played Thursday night for a Week 6 game as a member of the Eagles, he will not be eligible to play for Arizona on Sunday as the Cardinals visit the Cleveland Browns.

He has 18 receptions on 31 targets for 189 yards and two touchdowns this season.

The 30-year-old is coming off a disappointing season that included an ankle injury. He made 36 catches for 335 yards and one touchdown in 2020.

Ertz, whose contract voids after 2021, has spent his entire career (2013-present) with Philadelphia and was a second-round pick (35th overall) by the franchise.

He is a three-time Pro Bowler (2017-19) and was First Team All-Pro in 2018.

Ertz joins a tight ends room that includes Demetrius Harris and Darrell Daniels. Arizona also this week added veteran Richard Rodgers to the practice squad.

Ertz’s wife, Julie Ertz, is from Mesa and attended Dobson High School from 2006-10. She plays for the Chicago Red Stars of the National Women’s Soccer League and is teammates with Cardinals defensive end J.J. Watt’s wife, Kealia Watt.

Going to Philadelphia, Gowan had not been a participant on gamedays for Arizona — even despite recent injuries to starting cornerbacks Byron Murphy and Marco Wilson — after he was drafted in the sixth round of the 2021 draft.

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