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Zach Ertz said it’s “not unrealistic” to think he can play season opener

Cardinals tight end Zach Ertz is on the active/physically unable to perform list to start camp. That is not a surprise.

Ertz tore the anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in a knee in Week 10 of last season.

He has said he would like to return for Week 1 but has also declined to put a specific timeline on his recovery.

“The goal is to be activated [to practice] in the next couple of weeks,” Ertz said Wednesday, via Darren Urban of the team website. “I don’t think it’s unrealistic to be ready for Week 1, but at the same time there is a lot of work to be done.”

Ertz said he has a “big test” in the next couple of weeks that he hopes will allow him to be cleared to practice.

“He’s making improvements, and he’s got a good plan, too,” Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon said. “Normally you give a guy a plan. He gave us his plan. You can tell [because] it’s so thought-out, and he’s such a pro.”

Ertz, who arrived in a trade from Philadelphia midway through the 2021 season, caught 47 passes for 406 yards and four touchdowns before his injury last year.