Eagles TE Zach Ertz has change of heart after a trade request
One of the longest-tenured players on the Eagles roster was disgruntled this offseason in Philadelphia so much that he requested a trade. That player was nine-year veteran TE Zach Ertz. A 2013 2nd-round pick (No. 35) and 3x Pro Bowler (2017-2019), Ertz was once the standard at the TE position, evident by a 2018 campaign in which he reset the single-season receptions record by a TE with 116. Fast forward to last year, and it was a totally different story.
Why Ertz struggled in 2020:
A lingering high-ankle sprain last season derailed his 2020 campaign, as he called the injury "deliberating" at times. The Bay Area product had a career season-low that witnessed him missing five games while recording only 36 receptions for 335 yards (9.3 avg) and 1 TD. The high ankle sprain was so damaged that surgery was required. Which begs the question, what’s a high ankle sprain?
High-ankle sprain:
I talk extensively about high ankle injuries on TwitchTV and YouTube because not all are created equal. The grade of the sprain and where those ligaments are affected greatly impact the athlete's recovery time. The grade of the sprain determines the course of action. For Ertz, it was on the severe side and thus surgery was needed. Surgery requires inserting screws between the tibia and fibula to hold the two bones together, which relieves pressure on the damaged ligaments and allows them to scar and heal properly. In a nutshell, high ankle sprains can be extremely painful no matter the grade, I feel for Ertz.
Recovery and change of heart:
Post-surgery, Ertz was still seeking to be traded but GM Howie Roseman was unable to move on from Ertz in what he thought was unequal value. For starters, Ertz carries a $12.7M cap number but would save the team $8.5M in cap health. The team currently has $8.8M of cap health and trading Ertz would net the team an additional $8.5M. But it was never about the money as it was the ROI (return on investment).
Ertz is still considered a top-5 TE in the NFL, and Roseman wasn’t going to settle for anything less than what he thought was fair market value. Just weeks away from the start of the 2021 season, Ertz now returns to Philly but has a different outlook post-surgery.
"Like I've said all along, this is the place I want to be, this is the place I want to retire. Those feeling haven't changed," said Ertz. New year, new coaching staff, and a fresh start. Time to fly! Fly Eagles Fly!!!
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