Is Washington Commanders Tight End Zach Ertz a Hall of Famer?

Let's assess whether or not Ertz belongs in Canton.
Jan 26, 2025; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Zack Baun (53) and safety Reed Blankenship (32) tackle Washington Commanders tight end Zach Ertz (86) during the first half in the NFC Championship game at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Jan 26, 2025; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Zack Baun (53) and safety Reed Blankenship (32) tackle Washington Commanders tight end Zach Ertz (86) during the first half in the NFC Championship game at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
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Is it finally time to declare that Zach Ertz belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame? 2024 marked another milestone for the Stanford legend, who proved that he still has a lot left in the tank after he was a key part of the Washington Commanders offense and a catalyst for leading the team to this year's NFC championship game.

And while the team fell just short of reaching what would have been Ertz's second Super Bowl, there is no denying that what the Commanders did this year was nothing short of remarkable.

With the impact that Ertz had, hauling in 66 catches for 654 yards and seven touchdowns while starting in 17 games for the first time in his career and proving that he can still be a major contributor to any team, Ertz continues to raise the question of whether or not he should be inducted into the Hall of Fame once he retires.

Ertz's retirement will have to wait a little while longer, with the tight end quickly announcing after the season his plans to play in 2025, what he has been able to achieve in his career certainly warrants at least the thought that one day he will go down in history as one of the best to ever do it.

Beginning his NFL career back in 2013, it did not take long for Ertz to become a dominant tight end in the league. In his third season in 2015, he amassed nearly 900 receiving yards and caught 75 passes even though he was not a starter. Finally becoming the main tight end for the Philadelphia Eagles by 2016, Ertz started to really take the league by storm.

In 2017, Ertz's career really took off. Earning his first Pro Bowl selection after finishing the year with 74 catches for 824 yards and eight touchdowns, he also won his first (and currently only) Super Bowl title, where he was one of the main faces on that season's Eagles squad.

From then on, Ertz enjoyed two seasons of being one of the top tight ends in football, setting the NFL record in 2018 for most receptions in a season by a tight end (116) and posting his only 1,000 yard campaign, going for 1,163 yards and eight touchdowns.

2019 saw Ertz regress a little bit, but only slightly, as he still went for well over 900 yards and caught six touchdown passes, earning his third straight Pro Bowl selection. That season, the Eagles finished 9-7 and barely made the playoffs, but Ertz was one of the only consistent bright spots for that year's team.

Despite dealing with injuries in the seasons that followed, eventually leading to him being traded to the Arizona Cardinals in 2021, he still continued to produce in any way that he could, combining for eight touchdowns in his two and a half seasons in Arizona.

But after suffering an injury midway through the 2023 season and getting cut by the Cardinals, it appeared that Ertz was nearing the end of his career as he failed to crack an active roster for the remainder of the year.

Originally signed by the Commanders with the expectation that he would have to fight hard to make the team, Ertz impressed mightily in camp and ended up making the team as the starting tight end, where he ended up being a big factor in developing rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels into a frontrunner for the Rookie of the Year Award.

Ertz has certainly managed to accomplish a lot during his career while also having longevity, which could help his case to the voters. But his leadership and the reputation that he has created for himself is one that cannot go unnoticed and could be the two very traits that cement his status as a Pro Football Hall of Famer.


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Dylan Grausz
DYLAN GRAUSZ

A lifelong sports fan, Dylan has channeled his passion for sports into the world of reporting, always looking to provide the best possible coverage. A graduate of the University of Arizona, Dylan has since gone on to report on all sports, having gained experience covering primarily football, baseball, basketball, softball and soccer.