OFFICIAL: Commanders Sign TE Zach Ertz
Zach Ertz was once one of the faces of the Philadelphia Eagles before being traded to the Arizona Cardinals and coach Kliff Kingsbury, and now both of those men are Washington Commanders.
On Tuesday, the Commanders made the deal official, bringing Ertz to the team facility in Ashburn, Virginia to sign his new deal after departing the Cardinals last season and landing on the Detroit Lions practice squad for the last part of 2023.
Oct 8, 2023; Glendale, Arizona, United States; Arizona Cardinals tight end Zach Ertz (86) celebrates his touchdown reception against the Cincinnati Bengals at State Farm Stadium.
Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK
"The Washington Commanders announced today that they have signed tight end Zach Ertz," the team said via press release. "Ertz (6-5, 250) is a 12-year NFL veteran who entered the league with the Philadelphia Eagles as a second-round draft pick (35th overall) in 2013. In his career, Ertz has appeared in 151 games with 113 starts with 709 receptions for 7,434 yards and 46 touchdowns. He is a three-time Pro Bowler and won a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2017."
Ertz wasn't the first former NFC East Division rival to come to Washington this offseason, but he is one of several including former Dallas Cowboys coaches Dan Quinn and Joe Whitt Jr. at the top.
Fellow former Cowboys defensive end Dorance Armstrong and center Tyler Biadasz are also headed to the Commanders this offseason in a pair of signings that cannot become official until Wednesday afternoon at the earliest.
Ertz has played 11 seasons in the NFL and is entering his 12th season since coming out of the Stanford Cardinal program in the 2013 NFL Draft.
His signing comes on the heels of Washington releasing veteran tight end Logan Thomas this offseason and he now joins a remaining room of John Bates, Cole Turner, and Armani Rogers.
While Ertz's experience and familiarity with Kingsbury make him a favorite to win the starting job this year, we don't believe this move necessarily takes the tight end position off the team's NFL Draft board.
The team didn't reveal the details of the deal but it has been reported the one-year contract is worth up to $5 million.
