Tight end Zach Ertz signed with the Commanders this week and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury was a big reason why he made that decision.
Kingsbury was the head coach in Arizona when the Cardinals traded for Ertz in 2021 and Ertz caught 103 passes for 980 yards and seven touchdowns in 21 games with Kingsbury at the helm. Ertz was less productive after Kingsbury was fired in early 2023 and he eventually was released by the NFC West club.
During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show Thursday, Ertz said the chance to play for Kingsbury again made it simple to choose Washington as his next team.
“Kliff has been a huge part of my success the past few years in Arizona and so when he got the job in Washington and I was a free agent, it was very easy for me to say, ‘hey, this is a place that I would love to play for,’” Ertz said. “They’ve essentially redone the entire building since I came into the league. New owner, new G.M., a new head coach and I’ve never heard anyone say a bad word about Dan Quinn and so I’m extremely excited to play for him and to get back on the East Coast is going to be fun.”
The changes in Washington that made it an appealing place for Ertz to play are likely to include a new quarterback come the draft and hitting on that pick will likely make a lot of others excited about the prospect of joining the Commanders in 2024 and beyond.
