Eagles should rest Zach Ertz against the Falcons

By Samuel Sanchez | Sep 11, 2015

The 2015-2016 season is almost underway for the Philadelphia Eagles as they head down to Atlanta to take on the Falcons in what looks to be a good first test on Monday night. The Eagles have shown throughout the preseason just how scary their offense can be when firing on all cylinders.

What gets lost in all the hysteria over the Philadelphia Eagles dominate preseason performances is the fact that arguably their best weapon wasn’t even on the field. Tight end Zach Ertz was having a spectacular camp, making good on the potential he would occasionally flash. Ertz this summer proved that linebackers can’t cover him, and corners and safeties are just too small.

All that progress was a bit halted when Zach Ertz had to get minor groin surgery. Ertz said that the injury dates back to his rookie season two years ago and felt that surgery was the best option to stop the pain. The Philadelphia Eagles and Zach Ertz were fairly confident that week 1 was the target date to return. The healing process for the groin surgery was 4-6 weeks.

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Now that the Ertz is coming on 4 weeks since the surgery and has been cleared to practice, the speculation has begun that he may be ready to play which is obviously good news for the team and Zach. The one issue is that groin injuries can easily be re-aggravated. The truth is, the Philadelphia Eagles don’t need to rush Ertz back this week.

The Atlanta Falcons are a team looking to rebuild and have some nice pieces on both sides of the ball, but as of right now don’t look to be a serious contender. I hate talking like this because any given Sunday, or Monday in this case, the best teams can lose, but I just don’t see any way the Eagles can lose versus a Atlanta team that has major holes. The team would be smart to sit Ertz this week and bring him back next week when the Eagles face their division rival in the Dallas Cowboys.

Tight ends Brent Celek and Trey Burton have both proven to be solid options in the run and pass game and have both flashed this preseason. I have 100 percent confidence that both players can hold down the fort for one week against a bad defense that the Falcons have. Zach Ertz is much more needed next week, the extra week of rest would possibly do wonders for Ertz.

The Philadelphia Eagles are missing one of their best weapons in Zach Ertz, but they don’t need him this coming game. The coaches would be smart to give the third year tight end an extra week of rest to get ready for the Dallas Cowboys next week. Obviously you can’t overlook the Atlanta Falcons, but the depth behind Ertz should prove to be enough for at least one week. Resting Zach this week is not the popular move, but the safest one.

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