Over the first three years of Zach Ertz’s career, the cycle became pretty commonplace.
Play with a new quarterback, build a relationship, quarterback leaves. Then it would start all over again.
The cycle continued through Nick Foles, Mike Vick, Mark Sanchez and then Sam Bradford last season. Toward the end of last season, Bradford really started to click with Ertz and Jordan Matthews. It was enough to think that 2016 would be a year where the trio could put up some big numbers.
Then a week before the season, Bradford was traded.
So this season, Ertz has worked to find that same type of chemistry with rookie Carson Wentz. The two got off to a slow start together, but in recent weeks, they’ve found their rhythm. And the good news for Ertz is that Wentz isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
“I think the future is bright between the two of us,” Ertz said on Wednesday. “I'm really looking forward to the opportunity to finally have a quarterback that I'm able to build that trust and chemistry with for a long period of time. I know I really haven't had it the last three or four years that I've been here. I speak for a lot of guys, that we're really excited to have Carson here for a long period of time.”
How tough has it been for Ertz to not have stability at the quarterback position throughout his first few years in the league?
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“It's tough,” he said. “But I think that was the goal in drafting Carson as high as we did, knowing how good he was going to be. We've got some guys on offense, Jordan, myself, Trey [Burton], that hopefully are going to be here a long time. I think having the opportunity to build that chemistry is something we're really excited about.”
Over the last two weeks, Ertz has caught 19 passes for 191 yards and a touchdown. He was targeted 15 times against Cincinnati and 13 times against Washington — that ranks as the first and second-most targets he's seen all season.
And it's just the second time in his career when he's been targeted in double figures in back-to-back games.
The only other time was last season, when Ertz and Bradford really started to find their rhythm. He's almost back there now with Wentz.
“It's getting close,” Ertz said. “I think we're playing at a very efficient level right now with the two of us. I thought Sam and I built that chemistry up over a long period of time, obviously. The fruits of our labor kind of paid off at the end of the season and that's kind of the same thing that's going on with Carson right now. We're really starting to see the game similarly. I'm being in spots where he expects me and he's throwing the ball where kind of I expect it to. I think all the hard work we put in behind the scenes is really starting to pay off, but ultimately, we have to win the game. It doesn't really matter how many catches or yards I have in a game. We're just trying to win.”
Ertz is right, of course. The wins haven’t followed his production. The Eagles have lost both of the last two games where he’s been extremely productive and they’ve lost all three games this season where he’s been targeted in the double digits.
But if fans are looking for a reason to watch the last three games of the 2016 season, this one’s pretty simple. It’s a chance to see Wentz continue to build his chemistry with guys like Ertz, Matthews and Burton.
Wentz said he has a really good relationship with Ertz, but the two got off to a slow start for some obvious reasons. First, Wentz got hurt during the preseason, which took away a lot of his reps before the real games began. Then, Ertz suffered a first displaced rib early in the season and missed two games.
Since the bye, the two have been working on building that rapport.
“[Ertz] has been great,” Wentz said on a conference call with Baltimore reporters on Wednesday. “Obviously, earlier in the year it was a little slower. He had the first game, and then he got hurt. So, we didn’t get quite as many reps and opportunities to work together there. But I think we have really involved him more and more as the weeks have gone on. He has been great. He has been a great security blanket. Sometimes he is the primary option as well. He is able to do a lot of different things underneath and down the field that are nice to have in a tight end.”