One of the great surprises of the 2024 season for the Washington Commanders has been the play of veteran tight end Zach Ertz, who the team signed to a 1-year, $3 million contract in March 2024 after it appeared the 34-year-old was teetering on being out of the league.
Ertz is second on the team with 52 receptions for 501 yards and 4 touchdowns. He’s also a big reason why the Commanders are 9-5 and still in the driver’s seat for their first playoff appearance since 2020 after they clinched their first winning season since 2016 with a 20-19 win over the New Orleans Saints in Week 15.
Whether the Commanders have Ertz’s services for the most important part of their season is another issue. Ertz left the win over the Saints with a possible concussion and did not return.
“Washington Commanders tight end Zach Ertz left Sunday’s 20-19 win over the New Orleans Saints with a concussion,” Yahoo! Sports NFL reporter Jason Owens wrote. “Ertz suffered the injury in the first half following a catch and run. He made a one-handed grab on a pass from Jayden Daniels, and his head hit the turf when he was tackled.”
Ertz had 2 receptions for 25 yards against the Saints before he was forced out of the game. His replacement, rookie tight end Ben Sinnott, finished with 1 reception for 7 yards.
Ertz Was Modest Gamble for Commanders in Offseason
Ertz was anything but a sure thing for the Commanders headed into the season — best underlined by drafting Sinnott in the second round (No. 53 overall) out of Kansas State in the 2024 NFL draft.
Bleacher Report’s David Kenyon had Ertz tabbed as the “biggest bust” for the Commanders in the offseason.
“Zach Ertz has reliable hands,” Kenyon wrote on July 14. “For rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, that will be a positive in a safety outlet. At this point of Ertz’s career, however, that’s about as positive as it gets. He hardly generates any yards after the catch and is no longer a high-volume target.”
With the Philadelphia Eagles, Ertz made three consecutive Pro Bowls from 2017 to 2019 and was part of the Eagles’ Super Bowl-winning team following the 2017 season.
In 2021, Ertz was traded to the Arizona Cardinals midway through the season. He signed a 3-year, $31.65 million contract with the Cardinals in March 2022 but over the last two seasons, Ertz has missed 17 games due to injury and was eventually released by the Cardinals toward the end of the 2023 and finished the year on the practice squad for the Detroit Lions.
Rookie Tight End Has Shown Little Upside in 2024
Sinnott has done little to think he might be even a serviceable replacement for Ertz with 3 games remaining in the regular season, beginning with an NFC East showdown at home against the Eagles in Week 16.
Through 13 games, Sinnot has just 4 receptions for 21 yards and 1 touchdown, with that score coming in a 40-7 blowout win over the Carolina Panthers in Week 7.
In 3 seasons at Kansas State, Sinnott was a 2-time All-Big 12 selection in 2022 and 2023 and finished his career with 82 receptions for 1,138 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns — an average of 13.9 yards per catch for his career.
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