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Last offseason, the Philadelphia Eagles were gushing over the assumed breakout season tight end Zach Ertz was going to have. The second-year player had a year in Chip Kelly’s system, he knew what his job was and he was going to tear the defenses apart with his incredibly gifted skill set.
But while Ertz did flash his big-time ability at times, by and large his 2014 showing was a disappointing one. Maybe the fans’ and the team’s expectations were set too high for Ertz, or maybe he just flat out underachieved. But whatever it was, the Eagles are going to need Ertz to realize his potential this season if they truly want to be an offensive juggernaut.
When Kelly drafted Ertz high in the second round of the 2013 draft, the philosophy was clear. Kelly planned on running a lot of two-tight end sets designed to own the middle of the field, much like the New England Patriots have done. With the solid and reliable Brent Celek in tow, Ertz was going to be the giant 6-foot-5, 250 pound receiving threat down the seam.
The problem as it seems to be is that Ertz’s blocking hasn’t developed quite like Kelly hoped. For a coach like Kelly who values run-blocking in his receivers strongly, Ertz’s weakness there put him on the bench more than anyone expected. At times, when Eagles fans were begging for a big body down in the red zone, Celek was the one Kelly called upon.
When Ertz did get out there, he teased fans with glimpses into his potential. His 58 catches, 702 yards and three touchdowns helped, but his impact wasn’t felt on the field nearly as much as hoped. Those stats are a bit misleading, too — 15 of those catches came in one game. Take them out and you’re looking at 43 catches in 15 games. An average of under three catches per game from Ertz isn’t going to cut it for this offense.
If Ertz can become a stronger and better blocker, he’ll have ample opportunity to see the field more and his skill set could take this offense to the next level. The Eagles’ red zone woes would be that much less of an issue. And if you give this team the ability to score from anywhere on the field, the path to the postseason could be noticeably quicker. So let’s hope Ertz puts it all together in 2015 — it could be a whole lot of fun if he does.
Doug Green is a Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com covering the Philadelphia Eagles and the NFL. Follow him on Twitter @DGreenNFL.
