Philadelphia Eagles tight end Zach Ertz is dealing with a partial groin tear, per Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer, that's expected to keep him sidelined throughout the entire preseason.
The team announced he had surgery to repair the tear with Dr. William Myers.
Kelly confirmed Ertz is going to miss at least a "couple of weeks" due to the injury and doesn't expect him to see any game action during the exhibition slate, the team noted on Twitter. The goal right now is getting him back to full strength for the Eagles' opener against theAtlanta Falcons on Sept. 14.
"It's something that we wanted to get cleaned up, rather shut him down now than during the regular season," Kelly said, per Eagles Insider.
Ertz has been durable since getting drafted in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft. He's played in all 32 of the team's regular-season games since that point, tallying a combined 94 catches for nearly 1,200 yards and seven touchdowns.
It's a frustrating setback for the tight end, and he's spent the past couple of years trying to break out from the shadow of Brent Celek. A strong preseason could have allowed him to take on a more consistent pass-catching role in the offense.
Celek should handle a majority of the snaps with the first-team offense while Ertz is sidelined. It's also an opportunity for Trey Burton, who played more on special teams as a rookie, to showcase any progress he's made over the past year.
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