Washington Commanders Tight End Suffers Injury

Ertz got injured early in the game against the Saints, and while it should not keep him out long, his absence was surely felt on Sunday.

Nov 14, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Washington Commanders tight end Zach Ertz (86) against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Week 15 of the 2024 NFL season brought on a lot of highly intense matchups, with the push for the playoffs heating up for many teams. For the Washington Commanders, a loss to the New Orleans Saints hampered their ability to get closer to clinching a playoff berth, as the one point defeat dropped them to 9-5 and now has them only one game up on the Seattle Seahawks for the final NFC Wild Card spot. But an injury to tight end Zach Ertz could make things harder for an up and coming Washington team.

In the first half of the game, Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels found Ertz open at the 10-yard line. Ertz then went up and made a spectacular one-handed catch and after running it seven yards, he got tackled at the three-yard line and hit his head on the turf when he hit the ground. Getting up a little bit gingerly, Ertz was helped to the sideline and went into the blue medical tent for evaluation where he was immediately ruled out for the remainder of the game out of caution. 

Signed in the offseason to a one-year deal in order to provide veteran leadership to a young Commanders team, Ertz has shown that he still has plenty left in the tank, putting together a 2024 campaign that has him as the team’s second leading receiver, behind star Terry McLaurin.

Having played and started in all of the Commanders’ 14 games thus far, Ertz has caught 54 passes for 526 yards and four touchdowns and has been a crucial piece to the offense, not only helping Daniels evolve into a serious Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate, but has had Washington’s offense looking like a major threat in the NFC.

Starting his career off with the Philadelphia Eagles, who drafted him out of Stanford in the second round of the 2013 draft, Ertz became one of the league’s best tight ends during his time with the Eagles, being an integral piece to the team’s Super Bowl LII championship.

Earning three straight Pro Bowl selections from 2017-2019, Ertz accumulated over 6,000 yards in Philadelphia. His best season came in 2018, when he recorded an NFL record (for a tight end) 116 catches for 1,163 and eight touchdowns, playing in all 16 games.

At Stanford, Ertz redshirted his true freshman season in 2009, before playing a limited role in 2010. In 2011, he was slated to be a key piece to the offense and played well, but was forced to miss a few games due to an injury.

In his senior year in 2012, Ertz showed exactly why the Cardinal were smart to invest in him as he caught 69 passes for 898 yards and six touchdowns, earning a plethora of accolades including the Ozzie Newsome Award (nation’s top tight end), a unanimous All-American selection and being named a First-Team All-Pac-12 member.

Ertz’s career has been filled with success and even though he is dealing with his injury right now, the Commanders fully expect him back and with the team in prime position to clinch a spot in the playoffs this year.