The worst fears for the Washington Commanders were confirmed on Monday when tests showed that prolific tight end Zach Ertz tore his ACL. This ends his season and potentially his career.
It’s possible that Washington Commanders tight end Zach Ertz took his final snap in the NFL. John Keim of ESPN reports that Ertz suffered a torn ACL in his right knee on Sunday, which is season-ending, but for a 35-year-old, it’s career threatening. The worst fears for the team were confirmed by tests on Monday revealing the torn ACL. Ertz went down in the third quarter of the team’s 31-0 loss to the Minnesota Vikings after being hit in the knee while jumping up to catch a pass.
Ertz’s injury comes just one week after he passed Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe for the fifth all-time receptions by a tight end. He has 825 career catches through his time with four teams, including the Philadelphia Eagles, where he set a single-season record in 2018 for tight ends with 116 receptions. He was in his second season with the Commanders after spending one season with the Detroit Lions. ESPN reports that Ertz re-signed with Washington due to his chemistry and rapport with Jayden Daniels, who head coach Dan Quinn said also had his left elbow examined Monday with no long-term worries after exiting Sunday’s contest.
The impact of Ertz in the locker room and on the field is palpable in the comments made by his teammates, including tight end John Bates who spoke on Ertz after the loss to Minnesota.
"It breaks my heart when you see a great one like him, an all-time great get hurt,” Bates said. "He does everything the right way, the way things should be done. He's just a pro's pro."
It's been a tough fall for the Commanders from the 2024 season that saw them improve from 4-13 to 12-5 for their first winning season since 2016 and one that got them to their first NFC Championship Game appearance since 1991. They eventually lost to Ertz’s former team who went on to become the Super Bowl champions. But all of the stars that sparked that run have been injured this season, including Daniels who has missed six games. Running back Austin Ekeler went down in Week 2 with a season-ending Achilles tear, and wide receiver Terry McLaurin’s quad injury has caused him to miss seven games. That now includes Ertz for the rest of the year.
Together, Ekeler, McClaurin, and Ertz account for 78 of the team’s 236 catches. Ertz has four touchdowns in a total of 17 passing touchdowns for Washington, good for second-best. His 10 red zone touchdowns in two seasons are also the second highest on the team. He is a security blanket for Daniels that will be sorely missed, and his leadership can’t be quantified by metrics.