Zach Ertz: I don't want torn ACL to be my last play

A report in February indicated that tight end Zach Ertz wants to play in 2026 and Ertz has confirmed that his plan is to return for a 14th NFL season.

Ertz tore his ACL while playing for the Commanders in the 13th game of his 13th season, so there was good reason to wonder if he's played his final NFL snap. The free agent is rehabbing with an eye on being able to get on the field in training camp because he doesn't want the injury to be the final chapter of his playing career.

“I don’t want it to be the last play that I have,” Ertz said, via Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “Even talking to people now, and they do it out of the goodness of their heart, and [they say], ‘Man, that injury was tough.’ When people think of my career and that last play, I don’t want that to be the conversation starter. And so, for me, it’s just doing everything I can to get back to my best because I felt like I was playing really good football before I got hurt.”

Ertz will need to find a team that believes he can get back to that level of football and said he has "eyes wide open" to the realities of needing to prove he is both healthy and productive. Given his history on both fronts, it seems like a good bet that someone will take a chance on adding Ertz to their offense in the coming months.