Commanders TE Zach Ertz Looking to Make QB Job 'As Easy As Possible'
The first official signing of the new league year is in the books and the Washington Commanders locked tight end Zach Ertz in for the 2024 season.
He said in his introductory press conference that coaches Dan Quinn and Kliff Kingsbury are the biggest reasons he's joining the Commanders this year, and he truly believes this regime will be the one that gets it right.
For Washington fans who have been dying of win-dehydration for decades now, that's music to their ears.
Arizona Cardinals tight end Zach Ertz (86) reacts after scoring a touchdown in the third quarter at Bank of America Stadium.
Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
But how much should they expect to see of Ertz in his role with this new team?
"I think my role is to make plays on the field and be a leader off the field and on the field for this team," Ertz said when asked about his presence on the team. "Obviously, this is my 12th year in the league, so I've been around this league for a long time. I kind of understand my role and what they presented to me was to kind of just do what I do on the field, (and) hopefully get open for the quarterback. My job is to try and make their job as easy as possible. So that's the role that I expect and it's up to me to go out there and execute, to be healthy, to go out there and make plays for this team, and that's what I'm excited to do."
Ertz last played a full season of games in 2021 when he appeared in 17 for the Philadelphia Eagles and Arizona Cardinals in a year he split between the two franchises.
That year he brought in 74 passes for 763 yards and five touchdowns, outperforming every single-season tight end performance by a Commanders player since Jordan Reed's 2015 campaign.
The question moving forward is which quarterback will be trying to get him the ball this coming year. Something Ertz clearly understands is not his responsibility to decide.
It is general manager Adam Peters's job and coach Dan Quinn's - along with offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury - responsibility to make the decision work.
From the sounds of it, and Ertz's expectations of his role, it looks like we can fully expect the veteran to be a direct influencer on whether or not that decision turns out to be a good one.
