Zach Ertz shows love to Lions, Dan Campbell after signing with Commanders

Dan Campbell and the Detroit Lions are currently in the midst of what figures to be a highly important offseason as for the future direction of the franchise. Campbell recently guided his Lions all the way to the NFC Championship Game, where they blew a 17-point halftime lead to the San Francisco 49ers, marking a soul-crushing conclusion to what had been a historic 2023 season for the franchise.

One player who was on the ride for that magical run but has since departed the franchise was none other than tight end Zach Ertz, who has since signed with the Washington Commanders. Still, it seems that Ertz harbors nothing but love for Campbell and his staff accumulated during his one-year tenure with the organization.

“Everyone knows what happened, we didn’t finish the game. It was tough watching, man,” Ertz told ESPN’s The Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday, per Will Burchfield of Audacy. “I wanted to be out there. And just being out there, I love Detroit, I love Dan Campbell, Steve Heiden’s my guy, the tight end coach out there, and Sam LaPorta’s a stud, man. So it was a lot of fun being out there. Especially with all the drama that happened in Arizona, it was great to be back out there in a culture that was playing for an NFC Championship.”

Indeed, the Lions certainly could have used Zach Ertz’s services to help stabilize an offense that suddenly went stagnant after halftime against the 49ers. In any case, it’s nice to see that Campbell is making a positive impression on his squad.