Commanders Could See Former TE Zach Ertz Sooner Than Expected

The Washington Commanders made a dedicated effort to get younger this offseason, ditching most of their aging, battered contributors in exchange for younger options to breathe fresh life into the franchise's fading contending hopes. In walked a slew of draftees and undervalued free agents, and out trudged nearly a dozen 30-somethings who'd already played their best football.

While some outgoing names like Deebo Samuel and Von Miller would eventually land fresh contracts elsewhere, other familiar faces continue waiting for their next phone call. Austin Ekeler and Zach Ertz were featured weapons in Jayden Daniels' offense over his first two years on the job before they each sustained brutal season-ending injuries, though the latter player may see the Commanders on the field sooner than the fans may anticipate.

The soon-to-be 36-year-old Ertz isn't hanging the cleats up yet, with a return to his old Philadelphia Eagles still reportedly "on the table" should the Commanders' divisional rivals look to add any more offensive firepower behind starting tight end Dallas Goedert.

Former Philadelphia Eagles Tight End Zach Ertz — Eagles' Zach Ertz grabs a pass before dropping it after taking a hit in the first quarter Sunday against the Cowboys. zach ertz 12-27-19 | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

It would be an ambitious reunion for all parties involved, even if he and the organization already have a strong bond to build off of. Ertz collected three Pro Bowl appearances and a Super Bowl LII ring over eight and a half seasons as an Eagle before passing through the Arizona Cardinals and then Washington, ultimately tearing his ACL this past December.

He's only nine months removed from that injury, giving him a slim chance at being present for the Eagles' Week 1 hosting of the Commanders next week — and that's if he's even picked up in time, another hypothetical that's yet to come to fruition. But with a second Eagles matchup looming in Washington at the start of November, his D.C. return still technically remains in the cards.

Preparing for Life Without Ertz

Luckily for the Commanders, they had plenty of time to find an Ertz replacement entering an offseason full of questions demanding answers.

Even as he trooped into his mid-30s, he was one of the pillars of Daniels' passing attack as a first-down magnet, securing 1,158 yards on 10.0 yards per reception over 30 regular-season games as a Commander. He was instrumental during Washington's 2024 playoff dash to the NFC Championship Game (a run, funny enough, that memorably ended at the Eagles' hands) in attracting a postseason-high 25 targets, collecting one more touchdown to add to the 11 he'd total over the team's regularly scheduled outings.

JAYDEN DANIELS TO ERTZ TOUCHDOWN

The Commanders start off HOT.pic.twitter.com/OWOryYbpUn
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) September 7, 2025

Given his age, though, the Commanders already knew that Ertz wasn't a long-term option. They needed someone closer to Daniels' timeline to headline fringe positional contributors like John Bates, Ben Sinnott, and Colson Yankoff.

That's where Chig Okonkwo, a former University of Maryland standout, can embrace the opportunity to ascend within Washington's pass-catching hierarchy. He'll have plenty of threatening wide receivers at his sides in Terry McLaurin and Stefon Diggs, assets he lacked during his rocky stint with the rebuilding Tennessee Titans, to provide him with the space to take advantage of stretched secondaries.

He still has the youth and athleticism to leg out more impressive yards-after-catch numbers than anything Ertz could put together over his golden years in Washington, tools that a carousel of journeyman quarterbacks and pass-chucking prospects couldn't consistently utilize in Tennessee. Okonkwo's predecessor may be off to greener (literally) pastures, leaving his headlining tight end replacement to chase a homecoming of his own upon his first-ever professional scenery change.

Chig Okonkwo 56 REC, 560 YDS, 2 TDs 2025 Season Highlights.

Newest Commanders TE. pic.twitter.com/tXkADUwyNY https://t.co/fEUKb2swil
— Football Performances (@NFLPerformances) March 11, 2026

As reliable as Ertz was in knowing where to go to routinely catch Daniels' eye, he and the rest of the Commanders' old guard had worn out their welcome as prized offensive fixtures. Experienced veterans aren't as necessary now as they were when the quarterback was still adjusting to the league around him, though he may very well show Washington fans just how porous their defense is if he manages to get the better of his former employers alongside a likely-favored rival.

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