The Washington Commanders added a number of experienced players to the team during the offseason to steer the ship in a new direction.

One of those players was tight end Zach Ertz, who only played in seven games with the Arizona Cardinals last season.

Despite his limited playing time last year, Ertz was strong in his first two games with the Commanders, especially in Week 2 against the New York Giants. Ertz led the team with 62 yards on four catches, earning him some praise from coach Dan Quinn.

“I was really impressed with Zach’s performance yesterday,” Quinn said. “We call those 50-50 balls and he made sure it wasn’t going to be that way. But I thought even on the very first third down, there was a penalty against him. I felt his presence in that game more than others. He’s always going to be a factor in the two minutes, in the red zone and the things that make him tick. But I just felt his presence in that game a lot. He was really focused, really ready to go and the catches, the moves he made, I thought they were really on point.”

READ MORE: Washington Commanders fans give away Week 2 game ball after win over Giants

The penalties assessed against Ertz are stats that don’t typically show up on game reports, and that’s a skill that only seasoned veterans have. Having Ertz in the middle of the field is a safety reserve for rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, giving him a reliable player to fall back on when he needs him.

The Commanders have been longing for a tight end with those skills, and in Ertz, they may have finally found him.

READ MORE: New commanders, new results against Giants in Week 2 win

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