Zach Ertz still proving his value to Commanders

ASHBURN, Va. – All passes still revolve around Zach Ertz.

The Washington Commanders tight end isn’t their leading target. The field is filled with options led by Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel. The backfield has some depth, with Austin Ekeler catching a laser-thrown touchdown from Jayden Daniels in Monday’s workout.

But Ertz is the offensive lynchpin. Daniels is working harder to keep his eyes downfield, but knows Ertz is always there underneath. As age threatens the 34-year-old Ertz, his workouts are the standard for a group of younger wannabes. Ben Sinnott is an aspiring successor, looking smoother than a glassy lake when catching a pass over the middle on a steamy morning that awakened the full house of fans arriving to an 8 a.m. practice. Yet, Ertz is the one everyone watches in drills and 11 on 11s.

Head coach Dan Quinn forced Ertz and several other veterans on the NFL’s oldest roster to rest so they’re still fresh come January. Yet, Ertz is in teammates’ ears. He sets standards no matter his role.

“I've always been a guy that kind of just wants to overwork himself so I need people like DQ to kind of keep me from myself or so I don't go too far,” Ertz said. “And oftentimes I've gone too far where it ends in injury or whatnot. ...I'm not going to practice every day in training camp this year. We had a long season last year; we want to have another long season this year. So, oftentimes I need people to kind of keep me from myself.”

Even when not on the field, Ertz has become a mentor to those looking to replace him. He loves howling at defenders after big plays, but will also show the latter how they were beaten on the play.

“A hundred percent, [Ertz] is right there,” said Quinn. “He has this ability because he's seen a lot, that he can collaborate with a coach. ‘Hey Joe, I know what the coverage was. I could see it based on this person or this call.’ And what a valuable teammate, not just to tell the other safety, but to be able to incorporate coaching. That's connection, man. That's a championship mindset to say how do we find ways to do it better? So, I had high expectations of what it would be like to coach Zach and he has absolutely surpassed that.”

The big question for fantasy players is should they still draft Ertz? Were his 66 catches for 654 yards and seven touchdowns last season a final curtain to a 12-year career of 775 catches, 8,088 yards and 53 touchdowns or a second wind where the love of the game has returned in Kliff Kingsbury’s offense? Ertz seems a sure first-ballot hall of famer, but even aging legends have to fend off time and teammates.

“It's a deep group,” Quinn said. “This, I would say, is one of the fiercest battles we’ll see because there's a lot of unique things. From split out wide pass-catchers to in-line blocking, but it's definitely coming in.”

For now, Ertz is that go-to when Daniels needs a first down or a first read near the goal line when desperate for a touchdown.

All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.