Last season, Arizona Cardinals tight end Zach Ertz suffered a torn ACL and MCL in Week 10 against the Los Angeles Rams. When should we expect the 32-year-old veteran to be back? It sounds like sooner rather than later.
When Will Cardinals TE Zach Ertz Return From Injury?
NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported on Monday that Ertz has “been cleared for full football activity and is on track to start Week 1.” That would put Ertz back on the field around 10 months post-injury.
Ertz, who enters his third season with Arizona, had caught 47 catches for 406 yards and four touchdowns prior to the injury last year. Regardless of who the Cardinals quarterback is, Ertz will be a reliable target as he has been his whole career.
However, Ertz’s return might have more fantasy implications than real-life impact on Arizona’s record. The Cardinals are projected to be one of the bottom dwellers of the league this season, and Ertz, who has had a fantastic career thus far, doesn’t carry enough star power to change that.
Nevertheless, Ertz can still impact the culture in Jonathan Gannon’s first season in the desert. The tight end is one of the few Cardinals familiar with Gannon, as the two were a part of the Philadelphia Eagles before Ertz was traded midseason in 2021.
“The situation in Philly at the time was difficult for me,” Ertz told AZCentral following Gannon’s introductory press conference. “He was a guy that was consistently reaching out to me, connecting with me. He truly cares about the person … This dude was an unbelievable leader.”
Second-year tight end Trey McBride should still be expected to be heavily involved in the picture. Ertz likely won’t be 100 percent early in the season, and McBride, who is one of the few key young pieces of Arizona’s roster, absorbed Ertz’s role in his absence last season.
If Ertz is able to return to form early in the season, he could also be a possible trade candidate. Arizona is still in need of a roster overhaul and could be ready to give the reigns to McBride. A possible contender could use a veteran target to help their offense, and the Cardinals certainly should be open for business.
This season can also help Ertz with his own legacy. He enters 2023 with 7,247 receiving yards and 45 touchdowns in his career, ranking in the top 20 all-time for all tight ends in each category, and he has a chance to break the top 10 with another good season.
Fantasy Impact of Ertz’s Injury
Ertz has proven to be one of the most consistent fantasy assets at the TE position in recent years, and it’s encouraging to hear that he’ll be back on the field for Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season!
Unfortunately, this does not immediately vault him up the fantasy rankings to his usual top-12 status for a variety of reasons.
He may not be completely back to full strength right away coming off of this injury, Trey McBride has proven that he’s deserving of more opportunity at the same position, and this offense figures to be a low-scoring unit in 2023.
With Kyler Murray sidelined for a good portion of the season, plus the current state of the roster, Arizona doesn’t exactly figure to be leading very many games this season. This means fewer scoring opportunities for the veteran TE with subpar QB play, and his days of being a solid fantasy option may be behind him.
