It took two games for key offseason acquisition to repay Commanders' faith

It was a whirlwind offseason for the Washington Commanders. General manager Adam Peters wasn't thrilled with Ron Rivera's roster construction and reacted accordingly. One of his first acquisitions came with arguably the biggest risk attached.

Nobody disputed Zach Ertz's previous credentials. The three-time Pro Bowler was a prolific pass-catching tight end at the peak of his powers. But after struggling to find work after his release by the Arizona Cardinals in 2023, it left many wondering whether the aging player had much left in the tank.

Ertz left a good impression throughout Washington's preparations for the 2024 campaign. He provided quarterback Jayden Daniels with a strong security blanket across the middle and wasted no time in assuming a leadership role. That was positive, especially considering he was reuniting with Kliff Kingsbury. At the same time, fans were more interested in how the former second-round pick performed in a competitive setting.

After just two games, Ertz looks more than capable of repaying the Commanders' faith. The Stanford product hauled in 87.5 percent of his targets for 90 receiving yards. He's gained four first downs, including a remarkable effort to prevent a sure-fire interception against the New York Giants. In a game decided by wafer-thin margins, this ended up making a significant difference.

Commanders head coach Dan Quinn lauds Zach Ertz's early contribution

Head coach Dan Quinn lauded Ertz for the way he's applied himself so far. The big play was nice, but the former Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator was more interested in praising the player's overall contribution and presence. Something that is benefitting the Commanders enormously during this important early stage of the season.

"I was really impressed with Zach's performance. We call those 50-50 balls and he made certain it was not gonna be that. But I just thought even on the very first third down, there was a called penalty against him. I just felt his presence in this game more than others. He'll always be a factor in two-minute, in the red zone and the things that make him, him. But I just felt his presence really strongly in this game. He was really dialed in, really ready to go and the catches, the movements that he did, I thought they were really on point."

- Dan Quinn via SI

The Commanders are relying on their youth movement long-term. That much is obvious looking at Peters' intent to build through the draft and supplement any remaining needs in free agency. Until the 2024 class - rookie tight end Ben Sinnott, in particular - is ready for an expansive role, players like Ertz will remain a focal point.

Having someone who knows how to get open over short-to-intermediate routes with assured hands is helping Daniels an untold amount. He looks for him frequently in key moments and trusts Ertz to come up with the football more often than not. Missing so much football over the second half of 2023 wasn't ideal, but it added an extra sense of explosiveness and freshness to his game that wasn't evident over his final days in Arizona.

Washington would ideally like Sinnott to become a more prominent feature as the campaign progresses. That might take time, which is something the Commanders have thanks to Ertz's presence.

Peters made a lot of signings over the offseason and he isn't done yet. If Ertz continues these high initial performance levels and gets a good run of luck on the health front, he'll be up there with one of the best.

More Commanders news and analysis