Philadelphia Eagles rookie tight end Zach Ertz has seen limited action in the offense through three games yet remains confident his time will come, despite admitting to being impatient early in his NFL career.
Zach Ertz limited in Eagles offense so far
The rookie tight end will have to be patient and take full advantage of his opportunities.
Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Ertz was taken 35th overall in the 2013 NFL draft as a prolific pass-catching tight end with Stanford, totalling 898 yards and six touchdowns his junior season in 2012. Coming into Chip Kelly’s offense this season, it was expected that Ertz would be an impact player in the Eagles passing attack, yet has played in just 51 of this season’s 205 snaps.
The rookie tight end admits to some impatience at not being a bigger part of the Eagles offense, and stated that he was always taught to be patient.
“That’s the hardest part,” Ertz said this week, per Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “I’ve been ingrained since a young age to compete always and strive to be the best and I think I’m working toward that. You do have to be patient. Control what you can control. That was preached to us at Stanford.”
Ertz has had issues with his blocking since coming into the NFL, yet has shown improvement. Despite being in on only 25 percent of the offensive plays this season, Ertz has four catches for 74 yards for the same level of production as starters Brent Celek and Riley Cooper.
The Eagles have lost two games in a row, with the offense sputtering in Week 3 against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Eagles will face the Denver Broncos on Sunday, with kickoff set for 4:25 p.m. ET.
More from SB Nation NFL:
See More:
