Philadelphia Eagles Training Camp Position Breakdown: Tight Ends
I love the Philadelphia Eagles tight end group going into camp. It’s a fascinating group that features an elite receiver, a promising rookie, a former hail mary hero, a wide receiver hyrbid and a former rugby star. It’s rare to have this much depth at tight end and also pretty terrifying for opposing defenses. One good tight end is enough to keep a defensive coordinator up all night. Two or three good tight ends to go along with solid depth at running back and wide receiver, will force a defense to play a ton of zone and hope for the best.
Zach Ertz- We waited for what felt like a decade for Ertz to break out and he finally did in 2017, sort of. Actually this was his second best season in terms of yards, receptions, targets and catch rate, but he did have twice as many touchdowns as he’d had in any of his previous four seasons. But the stats don’t tell the whole story with Ertz. He was a nightmare in coverage. He’s really a giant slot receiver who has become one of the best route runners in the league. He absolutely obliterated Pro Bowl safety Harrison Smith in the NFC Championship game.
I’d really like to see Ertz take it easy this summer. We know what he can do, but we don’t know a whole lot about the four young tight ends in this group, plus the veteran who is learning a new scheme. These guys are going to want a ton of reps in preseason. I hope they get it while Ertz chills on the sideline.
Dallas Goedert- He was supposed to be the tight end prospect getting all the hype, but an injury during practice at the Senior Bowl and the insane workout Mike Gesicki put on during the NFL Scouting Combine really pushed him under the rug. That’s all going to change in about a month. Gesicki is more athlete than football player(sorry Penn State fans) and Goedert is such a natural receiver already.
I fell in love with this kid last March and would have been thrilled if the Eagles spent a first rounder on him. Instead they traded down, gained a future 2nd round pick(very Hinkie-ian) and still got their man.
He did everything well in college you’d want from a top receiving tight end prospect. He’s a willing blocker with room to grow, crisp route runner, exceptional athlete, finds the hold in zone coverages very quickly and he catches absolutely everything.
If he can adjust to life in the NFL, the speed of the game and the offense quickly, I think he could give the Eagles the best tight end duo in the league right away.
Richard Rodgers- Rodgers best season game in 2015 when he racked up 510 yards and 8 touchdowns including that famous hail mary catch against the Lions. He only had 19 targets in 15 games last year in Green Bay, but I think a lot of that had to do with the scheme and the injury to Aaron Rodgers.
Rodgers has a good opportunity here. He’s playing for a coach who loves to utilize a lot of 12 and 13 personnel(2 and 3 TE packages) and he’ll be fighting off a rookie and a former practice squad guy for the number two tight end role in this offense.
Billy Brown- Brown was a player I thought had a good chance to sneak on the roster last season, but instead he was stashed on the practice squad all year. He was a Division II wide receiver at Shepherd University who was trying to make the transition to tight end in the NFL.
Now a year in the system, he’s more poised to make a run at this roster. I love his hands and natural ability as a receiver. He’ll be a work in progress as a blocker, but he has a ton of upside as a receiver.
Adam Zaruba- Zaruba was a former rugby star in Canada who was a late addition to the Eagles camp roster last July. He was a part of the Eagles final cuts last September. He didn’t latch on the practice squad, but he was re-signed last February. He’ll be an interesting player to watch this summer, mainly because he might develop into the best blocking tight end they have on this roster.
Joshua Perkins- Probably the least known tight end on this roster, but he actually has the third most experience in this group. He was on the Atlanta Falcons roster in 2016 and caught a touchdown pass in Week 16 that year. He was demoted to their practice squad in 2017 and eventually was released.
He’s only about 6'2, 225, but maybe the Eagles see him as someone who could take over that Trey Burton role.
