Ertz Signs 1-Year Deal with Commanders

Reunited and it feels so good.

Zach Ertz has found a new destination for his 12th NFL season. Ertz was a big contributor for the Philadelphia Eagles during the heyday of his career, but now in the twilight of it, he will be playing for one of their arch rivals in the NFC East in 2024.

The veteran tight end is signing a one-year deal with the Washington Commanders, NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported on Wednesday, according to a source. The contract is worth up to $5 million per Pelissero.

The Eagles selected Ertz in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft out of Stanford University, and he was a three-time Pro Bowler from 2017 to 2019, putting together five seasons with at least 800 receiving yards in his first seven years in the league. Included in that stretch was the 2018 campaign when he hauled in 116 receptions for 1,163 yards and eight touchdowns.

Ertz, 33 years old, rejoins a division he is quite familiar with in the NFC East, having spent the majority of his career with the Eagles, catching 579 passes with 38 touchdowns. He then moved on to the ‘Valley of the Sun’, Arizona in 2021. He will find even more continuity in Washington’s offensive staff, which includes former Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury as the Commanders’ new offensive coordinator.

It will not be hard for Ertz to fit in because Kingsbury already knows what he likes to do and where he needs the ball to be effective. In their time spent together in the desert, Ertz saw 150 targets, catching 103 of them for 980 yards and seven scores prior to Kingsbury being given his walking papers following Week 18 of the 2022 campaign.

He played in only seven games last year with a reduced role for Arizona and posted 27 catches for 187 yards and one touchdown and played his final game in a Cardinals uniform in October before heading to injured reserve with a quadriceps injury and eventually being granted his release, with the organization going in a different direction in November. Ertz signed with the Detroit Lions practice squad ahead of the NFC Championship Game but did not see the field in the contest before their postseason run ended in a loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

The tight end position is in need of a massive upgrade. Logan Thomas led the room with a pedestrian 496 receiving yards last season, but Washington released him this offseason in a cap-saving maneuver.

That made it a position of need for the rest of the offseason, and Ertz is a relatively inexpensive addition who knows the division like the back of his hand and could provide veteran leadership for a team looking to make a jump in 2024.

Without a detailed plan set in stone at quarterback in place, it is unlikely the Commanders will be good enough to even snip an appearance in the conference title game in 2024. But Ertz will have a place to play under the direction of a coach who has proven he can help the veteran make a difference.