Eagles’ Dallas Goedert rated ahead of Zach Ertz in a ranking of the NFL’s top-15 tight ends in 2020
There could be a changing of the guard at the tight end position in Philadelphia after Pro Football Focus shook things up with their annual ranking of every NFL position.
In what could be described as shocking and definitely something that will motivate the Eagles Pro Bowl tight end, Zach Ertz was ranked lower thank Dallas Goedert, coming in at No. 7 on the list, behind his teammate who barely missed a top-five nod.
6. DALLAS GOEDERT, PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
The best tight end on the Eagles’ roster heading into 2020 is not Zach Ertz. Despite the receiving totals pointing pretty clearly to Ertz being the better player in Philadelphia, it’s actually Goedert who graded out as the better receiver in 2019. Goedert’s size and athleticism make him dangerous in one-on-one situations, evident in his receiving grade against single coverage that ranked near the top of the list this past season.Goedert can block, as well. In fact, he joins Kittle as one of just two tight ends to post top-10 PFF receiving and run-blocking grades at the tight end position this past season, and his 81.4 run-blocking grade over the past two seasons comes in at second among tight ends behind only Maxx Williams. He just needs more opportunities in a featured role, because the talent is there.
7. ZACH ERTZ, PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
Many would rank Ertz as high as third on this list, so I’ll start this out by explaining a little bit why he comes in at just seventh. Primarily, he isn’t nearly as dynamic as some of these other guys with the ball in his hands.Fewest Yards After the Catch Per Reception Since 2016
Player Receptions YAC/REC
24. Antonio Gates 111 3.6
25. Zach Ertz 356 3.3
26. Trey Burton 127 3.1
27. Jason Witten 195 2.7
28. Cameron Brate 171 2.7
*Among 28 tight ends with 100-plus receptionsSandwiched between Antonio Gates (36 years old at the start of this stretch) and Jason Witten (34 years old) is not where you want to be as one of the most productive tight ends in the NFL in your prime. Ertz forced just 14 broken tackles on 356 receptions over that stretch. For comparison, that matches Demetrius Harris, who did so on just 62 receptions.
Ertz clearly does other things well, though. He does a good job of using leverage and footwork to create separation on his routes and performs well in contested-catch situations when the separation isn’t there. The Eagles figure to run plenty of 12 personnel again in 2020, testing NFL defenses with the best one-two punch at tight end in the league. It will be interesting to see if Goedert eats into more of Ertz’s targets in his third season of action.
The 49ers’ George Kittle landed the top spot on PFF’s tight ends list, followed by the Chiefs’ Travis Kelce, the Bucs’ Rob Gronkowski, the Raiders’ Darren Waller, and the Ravens’ Mark Andrews rounding out the top-5.
Ertz had 88 catches last season after setting the NFL record for catches in a season by a tight end in 2018, with 116.
Last season, Goedert head a breakout campaign with 58 catches and also had a higher catch rate and yards-after-the-catch average than Ertz.
[lawrence-related id=639200,639162,639141,639179,639193
