Washington Commanders sign three-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion before free agency starts
And just like that, the Washington Commanders found a way to supplant the Logan Thomas cut from less than a week ago.Per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, the Commanders signed three-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion, Zach Ertz, on Wednesday. It's a one-year deal worth up to $5 million. As Pelissero notes, Ertz played under […]
And just like that, the Washington Commanders found a way to supplant the Logan Thomas cut from less than a week ago.
Per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, the Commanders signed three-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion, Zach Ertz, on Wednesday. It's a one-year deal worth up to $5 million.
As Pelissero notes, Ertz played under new Commanders offensive coordinator, Kliff Kingsbury, from 2021-2022 when the latter was head coach of the Arizona Cardinals. Ertz caught 103 passes for 980 yards and seven touchdowns in 21 games with Kingsbury.
How much does Ertz have left in the tank at 33?
This is the big question. Ertz tore his ACL in 2022 and only played in seven games last season because of other injuries. Let's just say it wasn't a very impressive run, as Ertz racked up 27 receptions for 187 yards (6.9 yards per catch) and one touchdown on 43 targets. Granted, the seven games he played in were before Kyler Murray returned to the lineup, so that's important context to factor in.
Trey McBride is also an ascending player in Arizona, so everything culminated in Ertz's release.
We all know it can take a while to come back from an ACL tear, especially at Ertz's age. It'll be interesting to see just how effective he is in 2024 and the one-year, prove-it deal reflects that sentiment.
But, if the veteran can stay healthy and provide even an average level of play/production, then the deal is more than worth it.
