Eagles' Defense Smothering Tight Ends With Zach Ertz Up Next

It may just be part of the overall success of an Eagles defense that has allowed just eight touchdown passes heading into Week 11 and NFC East battle vs. Commanders.

Aug 1, 2024; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert (88) catches the ball during a training camp practice at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Tight end Dallas Goedert caught his first touchdown pass of the season in last week’s Eagles win over the Cowboys. He missed three games with a hamstring injury or maybe it would have come sooner.

On the other side of the ball, the Eagles defense has been a brick wall against opposing tight ends. They have not yielded a touchdown to that position all season, and they haven’t played all slouch tight ends, either. The defense has given up just eight TD passes all season after allowing 35 last year.

Last week’s challenge was Dallas’ Jake Ferguson. He came into the game with 21 career catches for 251 yards (11.95 yards per catch) and two touchdowns in five games vs. the Eagles. When the Eagles’ 34-6 win was complete, Ferguson had added just four catches for 24 yards and zero touchdowns to that total.

Now comes Commander tight end Zach Ertz, who will always be an Eagle in many peoples’ eyes after being drafted in the second round in 2013 and spending nine seasons with them, making 579 catches along the way, which is second most in franchise history, just 10 behind the total posted by Hall of Fame receiver Harold Carmichael.

“Ertz is a really good receiver, as I'm sure you all know,” said defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. “And he is a favorite red zone target of the Commanders this year. He's a tough guy to cover. Good hands, good size, knows how to body up people, get himself between the ball and the defender. So, it will be a tough assignment with him.”

Oct 27, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders tight end Zach Ertz (86) celebrates after making a catch against the Chicago Bears during the third quarter at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Before Ferguson vanished, opposing tight ends averaged just 9.3 yards per catch on 33 catches. Last season, the Eagles gave up six touchdowns to tight ends.

Fangio tells it like it is, but when it comes to revealing scheme or even personnel matchups vs. tight ends, he isn’t saying much.

“I just think it's kind of worked out that way,” he said when pressed by Eagles on SI.

So, linebacker Nakobe Dean was queried after being informed of the success against that position group and the fact that no touchdowns have been made by tight ends.

“We don’t want nobody catching touchdowns, so the tight ends just happen to be a casualty of it, I guess,” he said. “We just work to try to stop everybody.”

Here are some other tight ends who have gone missing against the Eagles:

-Evan Engram had five catches and 45 yards in a 28-23 win over the Jaguars. He has 31 catches for 263 yards and one TD this season. He did have a two-point conversion catch.

-Kyle Pitts has three catches for 20 yards in the Falcons’ 22-21 win in Week 2. For the season, Pitts has 34 receptions for 185 yards and three TDs.

-Tampa Bay’s Cade Otton is having a terrific season with 49 catches for 456 yards and four scores. Against the Eagles, he was 6-for-52.

-The Browns’ David Njoku had five catches for 31 yards, but has 30 receptions for 255 yards and two TDs this year.

-Finally, the Bengals’ Mike Gesicki had a decent game with seven grabs for 73 yards vs. the Eagles and has 34 catches for 383 yards and two scores.

None of them have scored a touchdown. Maybe the former Eagle Ertz finds a way.

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