The Eagles continue on their early-season reunion tour this week with Zach Ertz and the Arizona Cardinals.
That’s on the heels of Doug Pederson and the Jacksonville Jaguars, Carson Wentz and the Washington Commanders, and Jalen Reagor and the Minnesota Vikings.
Ertz, however, has had the most unique of experiences. He came to the Eagles in 2013 in the second round of the draft, a shy, 22-year-old tight end who grew into the greatest tight end in team history, not to mention a Philadelphia philanthropist with his House of Hope currently under construction in North Philadelphia. The house will serve aa a safe haven that will provide enrichment programs and social services for those in need.
Eagles fans, of course, will always remember Ertz’s fourth-quarter touchdown catch in the Super Bowl, which turned out to be the game-winner.
And yet, Ertz’s time in Philadelphia didn’t end the way he wanted. He was hoping to get a contract extension so he could spend his entire career as an Eagle, only to realize that it wasn’t going to happen.
So Ertz was traded to Arizona last October, and he’ll play against his former team on Sunday in Glendale, Arizona. While Ertz said Monday that he was grateful to go to Arizona, he also seemed wistful on his time in Philadelphia. He still calls it home, saying that he and his wife, soccer star Julie Ertz, “grew up there.”
“Obviously, the last 18 months in Philly weren’t the easiest,” Ertz said. “There was a lot going on behind the scenes that a lot of people don’t know about. At the same time, I loved all my time in Philadelphia. I’ll never have a bad memory about my time there.”
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And that includes the time spent with Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, even though Hurts and Ertz only played together for 10 1/2 games − 4 1/2 at the end of the 2020 season, when Hurts took over for Wentz, and then six games in 2021 before Ertz was traded.
“I know Jalen is one of the hardest working players that I have ever been around,” Ertz said. “And even though we didn’t play together for a long time, we were able to have fun throwing after practice, throwing after training camp practices. Just working on our craft together for that short amount of time. So I’m not surprised by the success that he’s having.”
But Ertz also likes his new quarterback, Kyler Murray.
It’s easy to point out the similarities. Both starred for a season at Oklahoma, even though they were never actually teammates − Murray was there in 2018 and Hurts transferred in from Alabama the following season.
And both have shown an ability to lead their teams both in the passing game and in the running game. Murray, the No. 1 pick in the 2019 draft, has already been rewarded with a five-year contract worth as much as $230.5 million, with $160 million guaranteed.
Hurts, the Eagles’ second-round pick in 2020, is one year away from becoming eligible for an extension. The price seemingly goes up with every victory he leads the Eagles to this season.
Against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, in a driving game-long rainstorm with winds gusting up to 30 mph, Hurts went 16 of 25 for 204 yards passing, while adding 38 yards rushing.
But the relatively low amount of yards rushing don’t do Hurts justice in leading the Eagles to a 29-21 win after they fell behind 14-0 in the first quarter.
Soon after, the Eagles faced a 3rd-and-goal from the Jaguars’ 15. Hurts took off and gained 12 yards down to the 3. In part because of the winds, the Eagles decided to go for it on fourth down. Again, Hurts took off and got leveled by Jacksonville’s Devin Lloyd before somehow stretching the ball over the goal line for a critical touchdown.
Eagles coach Nick Sirianni was then asked why he went for it on fourth down Sunday. He explained the conditions were a factor. But then he mentioned trusting Hurts, his offensive line and the receivers to find a way to pick it up, and trusting his defense to stop the Jaguars if they didn’t.
Then Sirianni added with emphasis: “I trust Jalen! I trust Jalen! I trust Jalen!”
Ertz, who has 22 catches for 181 yards this season, has the same trust with Murray.
There was the two-point conversion in Arizona’s wild come-from-behind overtime win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sept. 18, when Arizona overcame a 20-0 deficit to win 29-23 in overtime. After a fourth-quarter TD, the Cardinals needed a 2-point conversion to pull within 8 points. Murray, flushed from the pocket, zigged and zagged his way back to the 25-yard line, eluding tacklers while looking for an open receiver.
Then he took off and found a path to the end zone. The play took 22 seconds.
Until this season, the difference between Hurts and Murray was accuracy. Murray has completed 66.7% of his passes through three-plus NFL seasons, while also rushing for as many as 819 yards in 2020.
Hurts had a completion percentage of 59% through his first two NFL seasons (19 starts). He has completed 66.7% of his passes in four games this season, including 64% Sunday in the worst of conditions. His passer rating of 99.6 ranks 9th. Murray, meanwhile, is off to a slow start, with a passer rating of 85.2.
While Ertz said that he doesn’t want to compare the two quarterbacks, he did say this: “They are two of the most competitive guys I’ve been around. In terms of the passing game, running game, you could make some similarities that they are both really good in space.
“I’m really fortunate to play with Kyler. I love playing with this guy out here. He can make ridiculous plays. He can make all the throws in the pocket. He’s just really fun to play with.”
The Eagles feel the same way about Hurts.
Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @Mfranknfl.
