When they found a way to end the drama surrounding them before the start of the 2021 NFL season, most people were expecting veteran tight end Zach Ertz to spend the entire year with the Philadelphia Eagles. During that time, Ertz said that he intended to finish his NFL career with the Eagles.
However, with the emergence of Dallas Goedert in the City of Brotherly Love, the Eagles have decided to trade Ertz to the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for Tay Gowan and a future first-round draft pick.
Ertz' Cardinals Debut
Nine days after the Eagles surprisingly sent him to Arizona, Ertz made his debut game with the Cardinals. In Week 7 of the 2021 NFL season, the 30-year-old tight end joined the Cardinals in their game against the Houston Texans. In their dominant 31-5 victory over the Texans, Ertz immediately showed why the Cardinals made the right decision to get him from the Eagles.
According to ESPN, Ertz caught three of his five targets for 66 yards, including 47-yard catch-and-run which is the longest touchdown of his career. On the game’s second play, he earned a standing ovation after catching an 11-yard pass from Cardinals quarterback Kyle Murray.
Kyler Murray Praises Zach Ertz' Ability To Learn Quickly
Though it’s just their first game as a teammate, Ertz and Murray have already displayed good chemistry on the field. In a post-game interview, Murray praised Ertz’s ability to learn the Cardinals’ system quickly.
"He is great. He had a quick week, but he learned it quickly," Murray said, as quoted by CBS Sports. "I think we helped him out a lot as far as signals and all that stuff and knowing where to be. He did well today, obviously, he scored today so it was a good day for him."
Coach Kliff Kingsbury Reacts To Zach Ertz' Debut
Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury wasn’t able to join the Cardinals when Ertz made his team debut against the Texans on Sunday night due to COVID-19 protocols. However, Kingsbury has an idea why the Cardinals didn’t have a hard time incorporating Ertz into their system.
"He’s a Stanford grad so we knew he could handle the load mentally," Kingsbury said. "I didn’t get to be there this week, but just listening to the guys talk about his professionalism, attention to detail, he was dialed in from the first day he was out there."
Deandre Hopkins Impressed By Zach Ertz
Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins couldn’t also hide his amusement after seeing Ertz make his team debut in Week 7 of the 2021 NFL season. Though veteran tight end Maxx Williams was somehow performing well before he suffered a season-ending knee injury when they played against the San Francisco 49ers, Hopkins said that Ertz, who is a three-time Pro Bowl, is on a different level.
Hopkins believes that Ertz’ presence in the field makes the Cardinals a more competitive team this season.
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