The tight end position is a position that the Philadelphia Eagles will be looking at closely this season, due to the emergence of Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce under former Chiefs offensive coordinator Doug Pederson. The hope is that Pederson can help Eagles tight end Zach Ertz, become a Pro Bowl tight end. If Ertz can break out in 2016, it’ll draw attention away from an unspectacular wide receiving corp. Either way, there will likely be more of a focus on the tight ends this season than there was last year, as both Pederson and Frank Reich, the San Diego Chargers offensive co-ordinator last season, are both known to incorporate tight ends more than Chip Kelly.
Philadelphia Eagles Tight End Projection
1. Zach Ertz
Zach Ertz is in a prime position to break out this season, especially since Pederson can be very creative with tight ends. The former Stanford Cardinal has been a serviceable tight end during his three years in Philadelphia, but he hasn’t really become the superstar he’s been hyped up to be, cracking 800 receiving yards only once, with decreasing touchdown numbers each season. Ertz is a freak athlete with nearly limitless untapped potential. Hopefully Pederson can help the talented tight end reach his potential. Ertz had a few issues with drops last season, and he’ll need to fix that to truly break out. He was also awful at blocking last season, which is likely the reason Brent Celek is still with the team. As soon as Ertz can competently block, it’ll likely be the end of Celek’s run with the Eagles. Towards the end of the season, Ertz seemed to click with quarterback Sam Bradford, which is promising for the future. However he’ll need to click with Carson Wentz to be secure.
2. Brent Celek
Brent Celek is arguably one of the more balanced tight ends in the NFL. He’s good, but not great, at almost everything. The former Cincinnati Bearcat’s receiving numbers, however, have dipped with the slow emergence of Ertz. Celek is still reliable in the passing game though, as he has been for years now. Celek can’t really run after the catch like Ertz can, but it’s better to have a guy like Celek who will catch the ball reliably and not do much with it after, rather than someone who is prone to some drops. Celek is also a far superior blocker to Ertz and it is his blocking that’s kept him around the last three years. At this point, he’s still in Philadelphia to hold the line and mentor Ertz in blocking.
3. Trey Burton
Trey Burton has potential, and hopefully there will be more looks for him in 2016. Burton shined in preseason action in both 2014 and 2015, showing off good hands. He has similar issues that Ertz does, but is better at blocking. Burtonis also an animal on special teams, which really helps him out. The former Florida Gator’s special teams prowess is likely the reason he got the roster spot in the first place; he’s putting in some serious work at being one of the best special teamers in the entire league.
Potential Fourth: Chris Pantale
Chris Pantale played pretty decent at last season’s open practices, which could get him a practice squad role. Maybe he’s on the active roster at some point during the season. It’s highly unlikely Pantale will see any meaningful playing time, or any at all, unless Pederson sees some real potential in him.
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