Philadelphia Eagles running back Darren Sproles knows a thing or two about quality tight end play. He spent three seasons with former New Orleans Saints TE Jimmy Graham who caught 270 passes for 3,507 yards and 36 touchdowns in that time. After that, Sproles probably know what he's talking about when it comes to the position, which is why fans should be excited about what he had to say about Zach Ertz.
"He has great hands," Sproles said of Ertz Thursday via ESPN. "He's about to be a superstar."
Ertz has spent the offseason in the presence of some other NFL talent, working out with Sproles, Drew Brees, Carson Palmer and Brandin Cooks. That group is expected to reconvene between now and the start of training camp.
"You see the pace we have here?" Sproles said. "We train at the same pace."
Head coach Chip Kelly plans to get the ball in Ertz's hands more this season. Ertz, to his credit, has done everything he can to justify that faith: working out with offensive line coach Hudson Houck to improve his blocking and speaking with future Hall of Fame TE Tony Gonzalez for tips.
"I don't really care where he's rated," Kelly said. "I know he's doing a great job for us. He's got an unbelievable work ethic, has really had no offseason in terms of what he did...from when our season ended against the Giants to when we started the offseason program in terms of what he did to work on his craft and make himself better not only as a receiver but as a blocker.
"A lot of guys do things and try to get with a coach to prepare them for the combine but then they forget about that. Zach is not that type. He was traveling all over the country trying to make himself a better blocker, a better receiver, doing all the little teeny things that's going to make him kind of take that next step, and that's what we're excited to see where he goes with that."
Another thing that could push Ertz into new territory this season is Philly's quarterback change. Sam Bradford has posted passer ratings of 93.7 and 104.1 when throwing out of one and two tight end formations, respectively. Nick Foles' passer ratings in the same categories are 78.7 and 102.0. If healthy, Bradford could end up being a significant upgrade under center.
