Philadelphia Eagles tight end Zach Ertz hasn’t been on the field for a while now. Dating back to last week, Ertz has now missed three straight practices, including one on Monday.

Zach Berman of NBC Sports Philadelphia reported the veteran's continued absence and believes that it's verging on more than just rest for last season’s team leader in receiving yards.

Ertz’s status as one of the two starting tight ends for the reigning Super Bowl champions is virtually in the bag. The other tight end expected to start for Philly is newcomer Richard Rodgers, who signed a one-year deal with the Eagles last April.

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Ertz missing practices of late could be taken as a sign that Philadelphia has zero plans of using him on the field during the team’s preseason games. The Eagles will kick off their preseason schedule this coming Thursday at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers before taking on the New England Patriots in Week 2, the Cleveland Browns in Week 3, and the New York Jets in Week 4.

Instead, the Eagles will likely spend more time showcasing rookie tight end Dallas Goedert along with Sinclair Gannon, Joshua Perkins, and Billy Brown.

Last season, Ertz caught 74 passes and converted them into 824 receiving yards and eight touchdowns in 14 games played.