Matt Rourke AP: "The tight end (Eagles TE Zach Ertz) is going to catch a bunch of passes this season. I'm not sure for how many yards or how many touchdowns, but he's going to lead the team in receptions."
Ertz was second to Jordan Matthews (85) on the team last year with 75 receptions, which was the 6th-most at his position. He finished as the #10 TE in standard scoring, but was #6 after his Week 8 bye, averaging 6.4 catches for 73 yards and 0.25 TD (on 8.8 targets per game) in his final eight games. Given his size and relative catch radius, his touchdown rate should increase eventually. Playing time was the issue in his first two NFL seasons, but he played 72% of the snaps in 2015 and 79% in his last five games. He’ll be playing in a new offense for a new head coach, Doug Pederson, but Travis Kelce was a key part of the Kansas City offense during Pederson’s tenure.