Philadelphia Eagles: Zach Ertz already a franchise great
Tight end Zach Ertz has already done enough to establish himself as an all-time great in Philadelphia Eagles history. Will he be Hall-of-Fame great, though?
Earlier in his career, Philadelphia Eagles tight end Zach Ertz put his head down and learned how to get dirty in pass protection at the NFL level from 11-year pro Brent Celek. However, the 2018 campaign will be Ertz’s first season without his mentor, who was released earlier in the offseason. Ertz did grab the baton as the starting tight end a couple of seasons ago, but on top of becoming a professional, he became a leader of the franchise.
With a blue-collar mentality, Ertz has developed into a well-rounded player that snagged a career-high eight touchdowns last season. And let us not forget Super Bowl LII in which the tight end hauled in another touchdown, the game-winning score for the Eagles.
At this point, Ertz has earned his stripes, and you expect him to post over 70 receptions and 800 yards, average a first down per catch and cross the end zone a half-dozen times per season. That is the standard that the former second-round pick has built up to.
When it comes to numbers in franchise history, Ertz is on a trajectory to become a top-three tight end in Eagles history. That may not sound like a big deal to you on the surface, but Marc Eckel of NJ.com can introduce you to Pete Retzlaff and Keith Jackson in his rankings in 2016. Celek ranked third at the time of the Eckel’s ranking while Ertz had already climbed his way up to seventh on the list.
In 2017, he ranked third in the NFL with 74 receptions, third with 824 receiving yards and tied for second with eight touchdown grabs. While Ertz may not be on the level of Rob Gronkowski or Travis Kelce, that’s not a slight to Ertz. Moreover, he just made his first Pro Bowl appearance and sealed the deal to bring the first Lombardi Trophy to Philadelphia.
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On the field, Ertz is quick off the line of scrimmage. He wins most of his 1-on-1 opportunities. In the locker room, he’s one of the leaders of a team that just won the big one. Moreover, his personality, humility and intelligence all exude during interviews.
Even more evidence of Ertz’s value to the team comes with the team’s 2018 second-round draft pick, tight end Dallas Goedert. While the Eagles may believe they can replicate the success of Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez from years ago in New England, it says more than just that. It’s a statement of faith in Ertz that they believe he can be a mentor in the tight end room moving forward. Intangibles may not show up on the stat sheet, but it’s evident that Ertz is more than just a good football player.
Back on the field though, this is going to be a tough offense to contain again. Head coach Doug Pederson loves to include as many players in the gameplan as possible, Carson Wentz takes what the defense gives him and spreads the ball around, the backfield is very versatile and this is the best trio of receivers they’ve had in recent memory. The engine is the veteran offensive line that is agile enough to succeed against anyone. Plus, when you have an upper-echelon defense, you’re bound to get more as an offense. This all plays into Ertz having more chances to produce.
Before last year’s success, Ertz was one of the main focal points on a struggling team, so his consistency should be considered recession-proof. Ertz has performed well despite the prior woes at quarterback. Now with the quarterback issues solved, they have even more talent around him. And with the addition of Goedert, there should be a chance for the Eagles to use more multiple tight end sets and line Ertz up in various spots more often.
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Forecasting to the end of Ertz’s career, if the Eagles continue to do things the right way, then there’s no reason for Ertz to get force-fed enough to ever accumulate a 1,000-yard season. He might reach double-digit touchdowns at some point, but the stats probably don’t equate to a Hall of Fame player — and that’s okay. He’s already an all-time Eagles great that should continue to post consistent, upper-tier stats.