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Since being drafted in the fifth round of the 2007 draft, tight end Brent Celek has been a fan favorite in Philadelphia. His receiving abilities have always been underrated, and his blocking skills have been top-notch. Celek has been a model teammate and a durable, reliable player for seven years now. And I know it might sound like a crazy idea, but the possibility of the Philadelphia Eagles cutting ties with Celek before the start of the season is more real than you think.
To start, you have to keep tabs on the emergence of Zach Ertz. Ertz is an early draft pick, a Chip Kelly pick and his physical attributes and receiving potential are higher than Celek’s. By all rights Ertz should be the starter and Celek should be the backup, but Ertz’s blocking hasn’t quite come around yet. But if Ertz can improve on that enough, the starting job is his for the taking. So already Celek is bound for a reduced role this season if all goes to plan.
Secondly, Celek’s contract is at the point where there’s no dead money hit in releasing him. He’s scheduled to make $4.8 million in 2015, and all of that is easily wiped off the books with his departure. Should Ertz take the starting job from him, I don’t know how willing Kelly is going to be paying Celek $4.8 million to be a backup. Kelly may value Celek’s blocking that highly, the same that he does with Riley Cooper, but money is important and teams only have so much of it to spread around. With only 340 yards and one touchdown from Celek last year, the offense could easily absorb that production.
You also have to consider the guys behind Ertz and Celek on the depth chart. Trey Burton is the third guy as of now, and for now his value is as a special teamer. But Burton is similar to Ertz in the sense that he has the size and speed to make a contribution in the passing game. He can exploit those angles down the seam and make plays downfield. And then there is Eric Tomlinson, a player who doesn’t have the hype or accolades but is being lauded for his blocking prowess. If Tomlinson is the real deal in that aspect, Celek is sitting on very unsettled ground as both Burton and Tomlinson make a fraction of Celek’s paycheck. Between those two and Ertz’s rookie contract, the Eagles could get tremendous production from that group with minimal cost.
Celek certainly isn’t on the hot seat by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s definitely worth watching the development of the other tight ends in camp. Should the offensive line struggle as many predict they will, Celek could stick around as essentially a sixth lineman who is eligible to catch passes. Ultimately I think he will be around come Week 1, but I can also picture the team deciding to move on. I hope he stays, but the end may be near.
Doug Green is a Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com covering the Philadelphia Eagles and the NFL. Follow him on Twitter @DGreenNFL.
