The Arizona Cardinals have a strong tight end room entering the 2022 season, led by Zach Ertz, who signed a three-year deal to return to Arizona. Ertz, in only 11 games, tied a franchise record for receptions in a season from a tight end.
He is primed to have the franchise’s best tight end season ever.
he is still one of the league’s best at the position, but perhaps is a little forgotten.
Pro Football Focus released their tight end tiers and rankings for 2022 and the players at the top are no surprise — Travis Kelce and George Kittle lead the way among six players in the elite tier.
Ertz doesn’t get mentioned until the third tier, “the best of the rest,” ranking only 15th.
Buffalo’s Dawson Knox, Miami’s Mike Gesicki and the Rams’ Tyler Higbee all rank ahead of Ertz.
Ertz’s production dropped off a cliff in 2020. After finishing as one of the NFL’s 10 most valuable tight ends in each season from 2014 through 2019, the former Philadephia Eagle turned in a 57.3 PFF grade for his 2020 campaign. It was the lowest of his career by over 13 grading points. The woes carried into 2021 with Philly, culminating in his trade to Arizona after Week 6. Fortunately for Ertz, he bounced back with a change of scenery. While it was far from his prime form, the 6-foot-5, 250-pounder produced the 11th-best receiving grade at the position from Week 11 on (70.1).
