Adrian Fedkiw
Zach Ertz was supposed to break out in 2014, then 2015, and now the hype train is beginning to churn up again.
Will the third time be the charm?
I say yes. An emphatic yes!
Although a solid player, Ertz hasn’t made the drastic leap of being an elite tight end that many expected. Much of that has had to do with a putrid offensive line and his lackluster but improving blocking ability.
The once-illustrious offensive line was ravaged by injuries in 2014. After starting all 17 games as a unit — including playoffs — in 2013, Lane Johnson missed the first four games of 2014 due to suspension, Jason Kelce was out for four weeks due to a sports hernia, Todd Herremans missed the last eight games after tearing his right biceps and a knee injury kept Evan Mathis out for seven games. Philadelphia used seven different starting combinations and featured 10 different players along the offensive line that year.
So what does this have to do with Ertz? Since Celek is seen as the much better blocker and was used as a sixth offensive lineman, he saw 69.33 percent of the snaps compared to Ertz, who was on the field 49.96 percent of the time.
Despite limited opportunities, Ertz still finished 2014 with 702 yards receiving and three touchdowns on 58 receptions. That included a 15-catch, 115-yard performance against Washington in Week 16.
When Chip Kelly decided to cut Mathis and Herremans and replace them with marginal players like Allen Barbre and Andrew Gardner, that left a huge void at guard for 2015. Couple that with Jason Peters, who seemingly left every game with some nagging injury. Ertz didn’t see as much time as he might’ve liked.
I did see positive strides from him as a run blocker, although his pass blocking is still a work in progress. He saw 68.25 percent of the snaps last year, an increase from 2014, but still not enough to allow him to crack the upper echelon of tight ends in the NFL. Ertz did finish strong, however, racking up 450 of his 853 yards receiving over the final four games.
Let’s compare his snap count to some of those elite tight ends who played all 16 games. Doug Pederson’s former tight end in Kansas City Travis Kelce played 92.12 percent of the snaps, Carolina’s Greg Olsen 95.92 percent and Dallas’ Jason Witten 99.13 percent.
See the difference?
And I don’t think Ertz saw significantly less snaps than these tight ends because the Eagles’ offensive line stunk and he couldn’t block, some of that also had to do with the ineptitude of Chip Kelly. The receiving core stunk too and Ertz should’ve been out there more than 68.25 percent of the time. Sometimes I’d look at the snap counts after games and just shook my head.
So the two biggest differences that will help Ertz out most come 2016; the emphasis on improving the offensive line and a head coach that will utilize him properly. Hopefully his blocking gets better as well.
The Eagles went out and spent big bucks on Brandon Brooks and made minor splashes by bringing Stefen Wisniewski and Isaac Seumalo on board to help out the offensive line. That will allow Pederson to feel more comfortable trotting Ertz out there as opposed to Celek.
That brings me to Pederson. I’ve been watching a lot of Chiefs tape over recent weeks and love the way they moved Kelce all over the field. He didn’t just line up at tight end, he’s also been in the slot, backfield and out wide. Pederson also uses some two and three tight end sets.
Hopefully we’ll see Ertz out there at least 85 percent of the time.
So again, THIS will be the year that Ertz finally hits it big. I’m predicting a 1,000-yard season, continued improvement from his blocking, a Pro Bowl and by next year we’ll consider him a top five tight end in the NFL.
Ertz needs to live up to that five-year, $42.5 million extension he signed a few months ago.
C’mon baby make it Ertz so good!
[Editor’s note: I won my Fantasy Football league last year with “My Ball Zach Ertz” as my name. I’ve got a soft spot for Ertz.]