Tag: Zach Ertz

WATCH: New Commanders TE Zach Ertz’s highlights

Zach Ertz comes to Washington with 709 career receptions and 46 touchdowns.

New Commanders tight end Zach Ertz comes to Washington with plenty of experience. A second-round pick in 2013, Ertz enters his 12th NFL season in 2024.

Washington fans know Ertz all too well. Having spent the first 8.5 seasons of his career with the Eagles, Ertz regularly caused matchup problems for the Commanders. Ertz has played 17 career games against Washington and has 93 receptions for 888 yards and three touchdowns. Ertz has three games against Washington in which he has caught 10 or more passes.

For his career, Ertz has 709 receptions for 7,434 yards and 46 touchdowns. After the Eagles traded him to the Arizona Cardinals in 2021, many believed his best days were behind him. But then Arizona head coach Kliff Kingsbury reignited Ertz’s career. Ertz was so effective under Kingsbury that he earned a two-year extension that offseason.

Now, Kingsbury is Washington’s offensive coordinator and, with a need at tight end, reunited with Ertz.

The Commanders are expected to select a quarterback at No. 2 overall in the 2024 NFL draft. Ertz will be the perfect safety valve for a young quarterback. During his career, he has helped other young passers, such as Carson Wentz, Jalen Hurts and Kyler Murray.

Courtesy of the Commanders’ social media, let’s look at some of Ertz’s career highlights finding the end zone.

 

The Commanders will meet with Texas tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders ahead of the NFL draft

The Commanders will use one of their 30 pre-draft visits on the Texas star tight end.

The Washington Commanders recently signed veteran tight end Zach Ertz to a one-year deal, and he will likely be the starting tight end in 2024. Ertz proved early in 2023 that he could still play, but he is 33.

Other tight ends on Washington’s roster are John Bates, Cole Turner, and Armani Rogers. Bates is primarily a blocking tight end, while the unproven Turner is more of a big receiver playing tight end. Rogers has the upside but is coming off an Achilles injury that cost him last season.

Therefore, it would make sense that tight end would be a priority for the Commanders in the 2024 NFL draft. Brock Bowers of Georgia is the top prospect but should land somewhere among the top 15 picks. Washington will use its first selection on a quarterback.

Ja’Tavion Sanders of Texas is viewed as the No. 2 tight end in the upcoming draft class. Most view Sanders as a high second-round pick, but he could find his way into the bottom of the first round.

The Commanders like Sanders and, per Ben Standig of The Athletic, will host him on a pre-draft top-30 visit.

Sanders measured in at 6 feet 4 inches and 245 pounds at the NFL combine, running the 40-yard dash in 4.69 seconds. He made several big plays for the Longhorns and finished his final two seasons in Austin with a combined 99 receptions for 1,295 yards and seven touchdowns. The two-time All-Big 12 selection averaged over 15 yards per reception in 2023.

Commanders TE Zach Ertz fired up to play for Dan Quinn and Kliff Kingsbury

Zach Ertz is a big believer in Kliff Kingsbury and praises Dan Quinn as a coach he wanted to play for.

The Washington Commanders released tight end Logan Thomas last week after four seasons. This week, they replaced him with Zach Ertz. Ertz, 33, signed a one-year deal with Washington that could be worth up to $5 million.

The former Philadelphia Eagle enjoyed a career renaissance when he was traded to the Arizona Cardinals in 2021. Ertz caught 56 passes in 11 games with Arizona that year and followed it up with 47 catches in the first 10 games of the 2022 season before suffering a knee injury.

Who was Ertz’s coach in Arizona? New Washington offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury.

Kingsbury liked the veteran tight end so much that the Cardinals gave the then-31-year-old Ertz a two-year extension before injuries undermined the rest of his tenure in the desert.

For the Commanders, Ertz is a smart, short-term addition for multiple reasons. He’ll be a tremendous asset to a rookie quarterback and any other young tight ends Washington adds to the roster — and he’s not going to cost much.

You can bet that Ertz is excited to reunite with Kingsbury. In an appearance on the “Pat McAfee Show” on Thursday, Ertz said he was excited to play for head coach Dan Quinn and Kingsbury.

“Obviously, Kliff has been a huge part of my success the past two years in Arizona,” Ertz said.

“So when he got the job in Washington, and I was a free agent, it was very easy for me to say, ‘Hey, this is a place I would love to play for.’ They’ve essentially redone the entire building since when I first came into the league. New owner, new GM now, new head coach. And I’ve never heard anyone say a bad word about Dan Quinn. And so, I am extremely excited to play for him and get back on the East Coast is going to be fun.”

It’s refreshing for Washington fans to hear veteran players want to come to Washington to play for this coaching staff.

What type of impact will Ertz have in 2024? The Commanders have the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, which means Ertz will likely be catching passes from either Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels.

Ertz has shown in the past that he can be the best friend of a young quarterback. Washington hopes for something similar next season.

 

Commanders sign veteran tight end Zach Ertz

The Commanders add a veteran tight end on Wednesday.

The Washington Commanders released tight end Logan Thomas last week in a salary cap move.

On Wednesday, the Commanders found his replacement, signing veteran tight end Zach Ertz to a one-year deal that could earn him up to $5 million.

Ertz, 33, was the Philadelphia Eagles’ second-round pick out of Stanford in 2013. Ertz spent 8.5 seasons with the Eagles before being traded to the Arizona Cardinals in 2021. Ertz was waived in November.

Ertz’s coming to Washington reunites him with offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury. Kingsbury was Arizona’s head coach for Ertz’s first two seasons with the Cardinals.

It also reunites him with Washington’s quarterback coach, Tavita Pritchard. Pritchard was a senior during Ertz’s freshman season at Stanford and was part of the coaching staff for his final three seasons with the Cardinal.

Ertz becomes the most experienced player in the Commanders’ tight end room, which features John Bates and rising third-year players Armani Rogers and Cole Turner. Rogers missed last season with an Achilles injury, while Turner played sporadically. Washington will almost certainly look toward the draft to add to the group, too.

Ertz was a three-time Pro Bowler with the Eagles. When traded to the Cardinals, he was 30 and produced good numbers under Kingsbury. In 11 games with Arizona in 2021, Ertz caught 56 passes for 574 yards and three touchdowns. In 2022, Ertz had 47 receptions for 406 yards and four touchdowns in only 10 games. Ertz suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 10 after signing a three-year extension earlier that year.

He returned in 2023, catching 27 passes in seven games before he requested his release in November.

Ertz has enjoyed success against Washington over his career. He has 93 receptions for 888 yards and three touchdowns in 17 games.

 

Zach Ertz, Kliff Kingsbury reunited in Washington

Ertz gets a one-year contract worth up to $5 million to play for the Washington Commanders in 2024, where Kingsbury is OC.

The Arizona Cardinals fired Kliff Kingsbury as head coach over a year ago and released tight end Zach Ertz last season. The two will work together again.

According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Ertz has agreed to a one-year contract to sign with the Washington Commanders, where Kingsbury is now the offensive coordinator under new head coach Dan Quinn.

Ertz, 33 years old, played in seven games for the Cardinals in 2023, catching 27 passes for 187 yards and a touchdown. He went on injured reserve with a quad injury before asking for his release, which was granted. He later signed with the Detroit Lions’ practice squad in the playoffs but was never elevated and did not play for them.

Kingsbury loved Ertz when he coached him in Arizona. After the Cardinals acquired him via trade in 2021, he caught 56 passes in 11 games, which give him a tie for the franchise single-season record for receptions by a tight end before Trey McBride broke that record last season.

The one-year deal is worth up to $5 million, Pelissero reports.

The Cardinals will face Ertz, Kingsbury and the Commanders at State Farm Stadium in 2024.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

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Former Eagles TE Zach Ertz to sign a 1-year deal with Commanders

Former Philadelphia Eagles star tight end Zach Ertz is returning to the NFC East on a one-year deal with the Washington Commanders

Zach Ertz is returning to the NFC East, as the record-setting former Philadelphia Eagles tight end has agreed to a one-year deal with the Washington Commanders.

The Cardinals and Ertz mutually parted ways last season. Arizona decided to move forward with Trey McBride as the feature tight end while allowing Ertz to seek a role elsewhere.

Ertz went unclaimed and spent one week with the Detroit Lions during the postseason.

Ertz spent 8.5 seasons in Philadelphia, totaling 579 receptions for 6,267 yards and 38 touchdowns. In 2018, he set the NFL record for most catches by a tight end in a single season. He’ll go down as one of the best players in franchise history, making a significant impact in the city.

He’ll now have an opportunity to help Dan Quinn and Kliff Kingsbury get the Washington offense on track.

Lions elevate 2 from practice squad but Zach Ertz isn’t one of them

Lions elevate 2 from practice squad for the NFC Championship game but Zach Ertz isn’t one of them

The Detroit Lions elevated two players up from the practice squad to the active roster for Sunday’s playoff matchup with the 49ers. However, former Pro Bowl tight end Zach Ertz is not one of them.

Ertz was signed during the week to the practice squad after the Lions lost TE Brock Wright to injury. However, Ertz wasn’t able to convince the coaching staff that he’s ready for playoff action. He’s been sidelined since October with a leg injury that led to his departure from the Cardinals.

The Lions elevated FB Jason Cabinda and OL Michael Schofield. Cabinda played last week in the win over Tampa Bay. Schofield provides depth with LG Jonah Jackson ruled out with a knee injury.

Lions place TE Brock Wright on injured reserve, add Zach Ertz to the practice squad

Lions place TE Brock Wright on injured reserve, add Zach Ertz to the practice squad

In an unfortunate turn of events, Brock Wright’s season is now over. The Lions placed the tight end on injured reserve on Wednesday with a broken forearm.

Wright had his brightest moment of the entire season in the win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with a beautiful catch-and-run that set up a touchdown. Unfortunately, he broke his arm later in the game.

As expected, the team added veteran Zach Ertz to the practice squad to take Wright’s place. In addition to signing Ertz, the Lions signed veteran DT Tyson Alualu from the practice squad to the active roster. Alualu has been playing as a practice squad elevation.

Former Cardinals TE Zach Ertz to sign with Lions

Ertz is expected to play for the Lions in the NFC Championship Game this weekend against the San Francisco 49ers.

Tight end Zach Ertz has a new team. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Ertz is going to sign with the Detroit Lions to their practice squad, but the plans are for him to be elevated to play in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers.

The Cardinals released Ertz at the end of November at his request so he could potentially finish the season with a contending team. He was coming off a quad injury and Trey McBride had emerged.

He will have a chance to got the Super Bowl.

This season, coming off a torn ACL, Ertz played in seven games, catching 27 passes for 187 yards and a touchdown.

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The Lions are adding TE Zach Ertz this week

The 33-year-old Ertz

Faced with the prospect of having only two healthy tight ends on the entire roster, the Detroit Lions are adding free agent Zach Ertz this week. Ertz will begin on Detroit’s practice squad, per Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network.

Ertz, 33, was waived from the Cardinals injured reserve at his request back in November. He suffered a quad injury in October and has not practiced or played since.

Ertz has a strong connection to the Lions. Current Lions TE coach Steve Heiden was his position coach with the Cardinals for nearly two seasons.

Brock Wright broke his forearm in Detroit’s 31-23 win over the Buccaneers on Sunday.