Arizona Cardinals veteran tight end Zach Ertz suffered a serious quad strain in Arizona's Week 7 loss to the Seattle Seahawks and will be placed on Injured Reserve, according to Tom Pelissero.
It's a tough blow for the 32-year-old tight end, as Ertz had proven to be one of quarterback Josh Dobbs's favorite targets over the middle of the field. Ertz, a 3-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion, was one of the few veterans receiving playing time on Arizona's young offense.
Replacing Zach Ertz while he's out with injury
Stepping up to fill the shoes of Ertz will be second-year tight end Trey McBride, who was the 55th overall selection in the 2022 NFL Draft. McBride had taken a back seat to Ertz to start the season for the Cardinals, but he has been worked in more and more as the season has progressed.
McBride had a season-high 4 catches for 62 yards in Week 6 against the Los Angeles Rams and has been targeted much more frequently over the last few weeks. At least for the next four weeks while Ertz is out, McBride should take over as Arizona's full-time tight end and be heavily involved in a passing game that has struggled in recent weeks.
The Cardinals could be seeing more changes offensively soon, as Kyler Murray returned to practice last week and could come back sometime around Week 10 for Arizona.
Ertz will be out with his quad injury and on injured reserve at least until the Week 12 home rematch against the Los Angeles Rams.
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