Brent Celek Still Philadelphia Eagles' Best Option to Start at Tight End

There is understandably going to be a lot of hype surrounding Philadelphia Eagles tight end Zach Ertz entering his third NFL season.

A tantalizing combination of size, athleticism and production leads many observers to believe Ertz could be on the cusp of joining the ranks of the elite pass-catchers at the position.

There’s just one potential roadblock. Ertz isn’t even the starter. Brent Celek is.

That’s not likely to change in 2015 either, despite what any fans or fantasy football gurus may think. There's no doubt that, at 6’5”, 250 pounds and with a 4.76-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine, the 24-year-old Ertz is the superior receiving threat of the two at this stage of their respective careers.

Then again, that’s not why Celek’s place atop the depth chart is all but cemented.

	REC	YDS	AVG	TD
B. Celek	64	842	13.2	7
Z. Ertz	94	1,171	12.5	7

Celek is still the Eagles’ best option to start because the 30-year-old has established himself as one of the premier blocking tight ends in the league.

Now more than ever, that attribute seems to be of the utmost importance in Philadelphia given the vast sums of money and resources the organization invested at running back and on an injury-prone signal-caller.

Is Celek such an outstanding blocker that the team should simply ignore the fact that Ertz put up far better numbers in less playing time last season?

Well, the numbers may be a little misleading to begin with, but yes.

Chip Kelly was pressed by reporters about Ertz’s limited snaps last November, and as usual, the head coach held nothing back in his appraisal of the situation:

"

Brent Celek is doing a hell of a job. It would be an injustice to tell Brent he has to sit because we want to put someone else in the game.

...

He is an outstanding blocker. He might be the best blocking tight end in the league. He is a sure handed receiver ... It doesn't have to do with Zach, it has to do with how well Brent is playing.

"

Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Kelly’s staunch support for Celek should come as nothing new to Eagles followers. Back in 2013, the head coach once went out of his way to mention his tight end when speaking about an offensive line that was in the process of paving the way for LeSean McCoy’s NFL rushing title.

McCoy may be gone, sent to the Buffalo Bills in an offseason trade, but Philadelphia figures to rely on the ground attack more than ever in 2015.

The club went out and spent big bucks on reigning rushing champion DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews in free agency to join Darren Sproles in a loaded backfield. It also traded for quarterback Sam Bradford coming off consecutive season-ending knee injuries.

Plus, as Kelly noted, it’s not as if Celek isn’t an able receiver himself.

Ertz may have racked up twice as many yards and touchdown catches last season, but according to Pro Football Focus, he also ran 100 more routes. That difference tends to skew the numbers a bit.

Basically, if Celek was in the game, it was often to block or act as a safety valve. Ertz would generally come on the field when the Eagles were trailing and in passing situations.

	SNAPS	ROUTES	BLOCK	REC	YDS	AVG	TD
B. Celek	827	316	511	32	340	10.6	1
Z. Ertz	603	416	187	58	702	12.1	3

For what it’s worth, Ertz is constantly improving as a blocker. As Kelly recently told Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer, he believes a “big jump” could be in store for the 2013 second-round pick.

With that said, it would require a massive leap to overtake Celek as the No. 1 tight end in Kelly’s offense. And let’s face it, if the head coach believes the grizzled veteran might be the best blocker at his position in the entire NFL, that’s not incredibly likely to happen.

While the Eagles deploy three receivers and one tight end the majority of the time, Ertz can also line up wide, so it’s not as if he can’t get on the field as the “backup.”

Furthermore, Celek is getting up there in age and has just two years remaining on his current contract. Ertz’s day will arrive soon enough.

For now, however, Celek continues to be the best choice to start. The Eagles appear poised to assert their will against defenses by pounding the rock, and Bradford is going to need as much help with staying upright as possible.

It’s still perfectly clear who the right guy for the job is.

Unless otherwise noted, statistics and combine information courtesy of NFL.com. Contract information courtesy of Spotrac.