Raiders' Opponents Ranked: TEs, No. 4
In making back-to-back trips to the playoffs for the first time since 2000-02, the Las Vegas Raiders will navigate the NFL's fourth-hardest rated schedule, according to Pro Football Focus.
Tight end is a position that isn't as deep as others that the Raiders will contend with this season, but still, there are multiple players to keep your eyes on.
Zach Ertz has resided among the upper tier of tight ends for the majority of his career.
The now 10-year veteran was a consistent presence for the Philadelphia Eagles up until the last couple of seasons.
The addition of Dallas Goedert and failed contract negotiations led to him being traded to the Arizona Cardinals last year.
It was then that Ertz went back to handling a full workload, something he'd been accustomed to for a long time.
Ertz has managed more than 100 targets and at least 75 receptions in six of the last seven seasons.
That stretch included Ertz's 2018 season, in which he racked up 116 catches for 1,163 yards and eight touchdowns.
Ertz's reception total was second in the league that year, representing his career-peak numbers.
He also has the second-most catches and yards by a tight end since he entered the NFL in 2013, trailing only Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs.
It could be said that Ertz, a three-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion, might now be entering his post-prime years.
Ertz was solid enough that he became a full-time starter again with the Cardinals, but his days of being a true go-to target might be over.
He might be asked to try to be more of one early in the season, though, as wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins will miss the first six games of the season while serving a suspension.
Hopkins being out means every receiver on the Cardinals will need to step up, and it gives Ertz the opportunity to re-establish himself as one of the NFL's top tight ends.
That likely increases his targets and should make him a big part of the Raiders' defensive game plan when they travel to Arizona for the second game of the season.
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