The Washington Commanders had not one, but both of their top tight ends set to become free agents, which would have ripped a sizable hole in their offense.
The Commanders were quick to bring both back into the fold, as Zach Ertz and John Bates re-signed, keeping a group that was pivotal to the offense and quarterback Jayden Daniels' development.
The Commanders believe that familiarity, now stronger after a year of experience, will be even more important in the upcoming season.
"That was a huge part of our success; the continuity, the competition," said Commanders tight ends coach David Raih. "They have a tremendous amount of respect for each other."
The Commanders viewed Ertz and Bates as equally important pieces of their offense for different reasons. Washington's tight ends accounted for 766 yards last season -- the most for the position since 2018 -- and almost all of that came from Ertz, whose 654 yards was his best performance since the 2021 season.
Ertz proved that he can still be one of the NFL's better tight ends at 34 years old and provided Daniels with a reliable option in Washington's passing game. Ertz ranked second on the team with 91 targets, and 38 of his 66 receptions resulted in first downs.
"A tight end can be a quarterback's best friend," Daniels said. "He's seen a lot of football in this league."
Bates' value might not be as quantifiable, but his coaches and teammates are aware of how he can impact the offense. Ertz called Bates "the most dominant blocking tight end I've really ever seen," and that skill set helped the Commanders put together a top five rushing attack that also scored the fourth-most rushing touchdowns.
"I just love moving people around and just putting my hands on people and moving dudes from 'Point A' to 'Point B,'" Bates said. "That, and I think it's just the mentality behind it. It's not meant for everyone, and I think you just gotta take that mental approach every single day that what you're gonna do is special. And it's dirty, but I love it."
Ertz and Bates' combination of traits is what helps make the Commanders' tight end room function, Raih said.
"We kind of have two positions in the tight end room," Raih said. "The in-line tight end you can run the football behind and the tight end that all of us know we're trying to throw the football to ... The key is to grow them in those roles."
With Ertz and Bates back on the roster, it allows the Commanders to continue growing the options behind them without speeding up their development. There are currently four other tight ends on the roster, including unproven college free agents like the 6-foot-7 Tyree Jackson and last year's surprise roster addition, Colson Yankoff.
There is also Ben Sinnott, who was the second tight end off the board during last year's draft and expected to possibly be an all-around player at some point. He caught all five of his targets for the Commanders in 2024, but those receptions resulted in just 28 yards. Most of Sinnott's snaps came as a blocker or special teams contributor.
Raih and the Commanders are counting on Sinnott to take another step this season, and a full offseason in the offensive system should help that.
"Ben has all the attributes that we saw throughout the draft process," Raih said. "And what he has is, it's a blessing in disguise. It's not easy as a young player to have like two premier vets in front of you."
Like last offseason, the Commanders underwent changes at several positions to elevate the roster. Their priority at tight end was keeping the group together, and if Ertz and Bates can sustain their performance from 2024 while the options behind them continue to improve, they may be relied upon just as heavily once again.
"What's so awesome about what AP and DQ have done is they've built the roster up," Raih said. "The competition with good people, it's just kind of premium. It makes it so fun to coach."
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