It appears there’s hope for the Philadelphia Eagles as it pertains to the Zach Ertz saga after all. Following months of trade speculation, the tight end might be staying put despite what looked to be a tearful farewell to the city of Philadelphia.
According to a new report from WIP’s Howard Eskin, the player will be back with the Eagles and will return for their first training camp practice under Nick Sirianni. All this means is that the veteran will be with the team for the time being.
Of course, it’s still better news than Philly fans could have expected after reports claimed he would be sitting out training camp while the team looked at trade options. It was also reported that he could end up simply getting cut if a trade could not be found, given the $8.5 million in salary he’s owed for 2021.
It’s since been claimed that Ertz will be on the field next week after foregoing minicamp earlier in the summer. The claims have weight given that Erskin is employed by the team as a gameday sideline reporter and would have inside knowledge. The journo also insists the player is over the issues he had with the team and has been working out with his teammates. It’s likely that he is no longer looking to sign a new contract with the team although he’s been keen on securing one for a few years now.
“Latest on #Eagles Zach Ertz. I know there is a great chance Ertz will be on the team at the start of the season,” Erskin tweeted on Wednesday. “Been told Zach will be there at the start of training camp Tuesday. Zach has been working out in the team facility for close to the last 2 weeks with teammates. He’s over the issues.”
Despite the above, it’s still possible that Ertz ends up in another uniform next season. However, this latest bit makes a case for the player having a change of heart. No one thought there was a chance he’d remain in Philadelphia after he ended last season in tears but, all of a sudden, there’s that.
It’s now likely he will be back playing for the team in 2021, deployed in a meaningful role under Sirianni alongside Jalen Hurts. Ertz did have a sub-par 2020, the worst of his career where statistics are concerned. He caught just 36 passes for 365 yards and a single touchdown. His situation wasn’t helped by the generally poor state of the team. It’s worth noting that his career has been in a bearish mode for the past few years and he’s also turning 31 in November.
Fortunately for the Eagles, they have a great replacement in the form of Dallas Goedert. However, the best-case scenario is Ertz sticking around as he would provide a veteran presence.
Even if he stays, Ertz could be shopped by the team prior to the trade deadline or moved to a team badly needing a tight end should one of theirs get injured. While he might be out on the field next week, there’s no guarantee he will remain as part of the roster, although that would be great for Sports Betting in Pennsylvania.
Meanwhile, former Eagles linebacker Mychal Kendricks will be free to pick his football career up after being sentenced to one day in prison, having pleaded guilty to charges of insider trading in 2018. That is according to Adam Schefter of ESPN, who also reports Kendricks will have to put in 300 hours of community service and be on probation for a period of three years.
“Free-agent LB Mychal Kendricks was sentenced today to one day in jail, three years of probation, and 300 hours of community service for his 2018 guilty plea on insider-trading charges,” Schefter tweeted on Thursday afternoon. “Kendricks is now free to resume his NFL career immediately and he wants to continue playing.”
Federal prosecutors asserted that the pro footballer conspired with bank analyst Damilare Sonoiki and was in receipt of information that had not been made public before using it for financial gain. He paid Sonoiki $10,000 plus perks such as tickets to Eagles games.
Kendricks acknowledged wrongdoing three years ago, though claiming he wasn’t aware of the scope of his actions.
“While I didn’t fully understand all of the details of the illegal trades, I knew it was wrong, and I wholeheartedly regret my actions,” he said in a statement.
He was released by the Cleveland Browns shortly after getting charged and signed with the Seattle Seahawks, making 18 appearances for them between 2018 and 2019. He played in a single regular-season game for the Washington Football team last term, starting their wild-card round defeat to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Schefter reports the player is looking to continue his career given that his legal situation has been dealt with.
