Eagles Bring back Super Bowl Champ To Make Like Travis Kelce

The Philadelphia Eagles showed a weakness in covering Commanders tight end Zach Ertz, and now comes one of the game's best in Kansas City's Travis Kelce in Super Bowl LIX.

Former Eagles tight end Brent Celek runs a route on safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson during a practice in South Philly as the Eagles prepare for Super Bowl LIX. / Ed Kracz/Eagles on SI

PHILADELPHIA – Zach Ertz showed the Chiefs a potential chink in the Eagles’ pass defense by raking Philly for a season-high in catches (11) and yards (102) on 16 targets in last week’s NFC Championship Game.

You know Matt Nagy saw what the Commanders tight end did. So did Travis Kelce. The Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator and their future Hall of Fame tight end will no doubt try to exploit that when they play the Eagles in Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9 in New Orleans.

The Eagles know it, too. They brought in their own Super Bowl-winning tight end Brent Celek, from the 2017 team, to work with safeties Reed Blankenship and C.J. Gardner-Johnson during Friday’s practice, which was moved indoors to rain.

Celek was running Kelce-style routes against the two safeties with safety coach Joe Kasper watching closely. The Eagles could also use slot cornerback Cooper DeJean on Kelce or try a linebacker like Zack Baun or Oren Burks in a gang-up-on-Kelce strategy, and the more who can do it, the more options Eagles DC Vic Fangio will have.

Eagles safeties C.J. Gardner-Johnson (left) and Reed Blankenship get some pointers from safety coach Joe Kasper and former Eagles tight end Brent Celek during a Friday practice before the team heads to New Orleans for Super Bowl LIX. / Ed Kracz/Eagles on SI

“I did a little bit with Ertz last game,” said DeJean. “It changes your mindset a little bit when you’re covering tight ends, but not a whole lot, especially a guy like Kelce, who they use like a receiver who can move and get open.”

DeJean touched on why Kelce has had the highly-succesful 12-year career that he has.

“Just his ability to get open and find spots in the zone,” he said. “I feel like he does that at a high level. When (Kansas City quarterback) Mahomes is scrambling he seems to find the right area to be open and for him to get the ball.”

The Eagles had a hard time stopping Kelce in Super Bowl LVII just two years ago in a 38-35 loss when he caught all six of his targets for 81 yards and an 18-yard touchdown catch that tied the game at 7-7 in the first quarter.

The Eagles seem intent on doing a better job against him than last time and what Ertz did against them, but, like Mike Tyson once said, “Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face.”

We’ll know soon enough if the Eagles can take a couple of Kelce haymakers and stay upright long enough to win their second Super Bowl championship in the last eight seasons.

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