Zach Ertz

Washington Commanders·#86

Pos TEHt 6'5"Wt 250 lbExp 12 yrCollege Stanford

TE rankings →

Model Score

78.7 MODEL

2016

65.9

2017

80.4

2018

81.8

2019

83.7

2020

74.5

2021

78.8

2022

80.7

2023

73.8

2024

81.4

2025

78.7

How good he is at what he is supposed to be doing, out of 100. Not a projection of what he will do next, and not a read on his contract. Median is about 70, and a 95 is rare. How it is built →

Season Stats · 13 games

5018th

Rec

50421st

Rec Yds

419th

Rec TD

7317th

Targets

38.818th

Yds/Gm

9.620th

Fantasy PPG

Advanced Metrics EPA & Next Gen Stats

0.79526th

EPA / target

2.6 yd49th

Avg separation

6.0 yd

Avg cushion

-0.549th

YAC over exp

68.9%

Catch %

STM Take

Three career tier 2 finishes (#6 in 2018, #5 in 2019, #16 in 2021) plus the Super Bowl LII ring and the 2018 single-season receptions record establish a Hall-of-Very-Good baseline. The 2024 tier 4 (#13) finish at age 34 with a rookie QB was the unexpected late-career peak. The 2025 step back to tier 6 (#24) reflects age 35 reality and the natural Jayden Daniels target redistribution. At 35 the trajectory is now closing the book.

Ertz came out of Stanford as Philadelphia's 2nd-round pick (35th overall) in 2013. He made three Pro Bowls (2017, 2018, 2019), won Super Bowl LII, and set the NFL single-season record for receptions by a TE in 2018 (116). His Eagles tenure ended via trade to Arizona in 2021, and Washington signed him in 2024 on a 1-year deal that he extended into 2025. The 2024 #13 (tier 4) finish with rookie Jayden Daniels was his best season in three years; the 2025 #24 (tier 6) finish at age 35 was the natural regression with Washington's offensive shifts.

Strengths

Three Pro Bowls (2017-2019), Super Bowl LII ring, plus the 2018 single-season TE receptions record (116). Career 800+ catches and 70+ receiving touchdowns establishes Hall-of-Very-Good baseline.
Wk 13 2025's 20.6 PPR shows the TE1 ceiling is still available when the offense schemes him a target. Six consecutive games above 8 PPR in Wks 6-13 averaged 11.8 PPR.

Concerns

Age 35 plus the tier 6 (#24) 2025 finish confirms the back-half decline. Career receiving yards per season has trended below 700 since 2022.
Jayden Daniels's target redistribution toward Terry McLaurin and the rookie WR class compresses Ertz's role each year. The 2026 cap calculus likely shifts toward a younger replacement.

What to watch: Whether Washington retains him for 2026 as Jayden Daniels's veteran security blanket or releases him to clear cap for a younger TE addition.