Source: Eagles TE Zach Ertz to miss next game with rib injury
PHILADELPHIA -- Eagles tight end Zach Ertz suffered a shoulder/rib displacement under his left collarbone against the Cleveland Brownsand will not play next Monday night against the host Chicago Bears, a league source told ESPN.
During his press conference earlier on Monday, head coach Doug Pederson called Ertz's status as week-to-week.
"The rib has displaced itself underneath the collarbone, but it's not a fracture or a broken bone," Pederson said.
Pederson said Ertz will probably have to be cleared medically before he plays again.
"It's a dangerous situation with a displaced bone because you're talking up around the neck and head area, so any type of blow again could do further damage to that," Pederson said. "That's why it's a week-to-week deal."
The injury happened in the first quarter near the Cleveland sideline when Ertz lowered his shoulder after a catch and "took a direct blow," Pederson said. The Eagles' coaching staff was aware of the injury shortly after it happened, Pederson said, but the team didn't know the severity until afterward.
Ertz played the entire game and finished with six catches for 58 yards, including a key fourth-down conversion in the third quarter that led to a touchdown from Carson Wentz to Nelson Agholor.
"It just shows the toughness, the physical toughness that he has," Pederson said. "It's a credit to him to fight through and battle through and keep himself available for the game."
With Ertz injured, the team is now down to just one healthy tight end on their 53-man roster. Tight end Trey Burton sat out Sunday with a calf injury, but Pederson thinks he will be able to practice this week in Ertz's absence.
Elsewhere on the injury front, cornerback Leodis McKelvin is week-to-week with a hamstring strain. That will likely mean more playing time for 2016 seventh-round pick Jalen Mills. The Eagles also have the option of calling up undrafted rookie C.J. Smith -- Wentz's teammate at North Dakota State -- from the practice squad.
