With Trey McBride given the TE1 job for the Cardinals, it was a question of how Zach Ertz would fit in.
The answer came Thursday when the Cardinals officially released the veteran tight end, a mutual separation as first reported by Ertz’s former teammate JJ Watt.
Ertz was on injured reserve due to a quadriceps injury and missed five games. Given the move so late in the season, Ertz is still subject to waivers despite his veteran status. Any team that claims him would still owe him about $2.5 million. NFL Network reported that Ertz agreed to forego play-checking for a week to facilitate the transition.
Ertz arrived in the 2021 trade and played well, tying the franchise record for receptions with 56 (for 574 yards and three TDs), despite playing in just 11 games following a trade from the Eagles. Last season, Ertz was on pace to break the franchise record for catches when he tore his ACL in the Cardinals’ tenth game. He finished the game with 46 catches for 406 yards and four touchdowns.
His return allowed him to play Week 1 this season, and Ertz said he was fine physically, but production in an offense without Kyler Murray never worked. He had 27 catches but only 187 yards with one touchdown. After Ertz was paused, McBride was much more effective.
Ertz was under contract through 2024, but given his roster status and salary, it was likely he would be released in the offseason.
The Cardinals have McBride, Geoff Swaim and Blake Whiteheart on the roster at that position.
Exercise troop movement
The Cardinals have re-signed defensive lineman Ben Stille to the practice squad after releasing him from the roster earlier this week. Stille has already been called up from the training squad for games three times, so his only chance of playing games is to be promoted to the squad.