Zach Ertz could easily be lost amid the receiver shuffle the Philadelphia Eagles went through during the offseason. So many different receivers entered the fold, yet the stalwart tight end remained in place. Scouts and analysts aren't spending enough time talking about him in the lead-up to the season. That's regrettable, though, as the tight end will play a key part in the team's season and Carson Wentz's continued development.

Ertz is still a top target

Without too many elite options, Ertz became one of Wentz's favorite targets on the Eagles during his rookie season.

He pulled down a career-high 78 catches, despite playing in the least amount of games of his career over the course of a season (14). He wasn't just making a lot of catches; he was seeing a lot of targets too. According to Pro Football Focus, he was the most targeted tight end in the entire NFL during the second half of the 2016 season.

Ertz is entering the second year of a five-year, $42 million extension with the Eagles. In other words, teammates may come and go, but he's probably going to be around for the long haul. This offseason has been less about his body of work and more about his - well, body.

He is set to appear in ESPN's Body Issue, an annual look at the physiques of athletes in the nude. He also got married to Julie Ertz, also a professional athlete (and also in the Body Issue). But it's almost time to get back to work, where he'll be entering a different locker room than the year before.

Eagles revamp the receiving corps

Ertz will recognize Jordan Matthews when he lines up in the slot this season. He'll have some new friends on the outside, though. On one side, the speedy Torrey Smith will line up and try to force defenders to watch their backs, giving Wentz his first true deep threat of his career. On the other side of the field, Alshon Jeffery will provide Wentz with the first true No.

1 receiver to work with of his career. He's on a one-year deal, so he'll have the motivation to perform well for the Eagles in search of a new, lucrative contract.

This will be a big year for Wentz's development as he looks to prove the second half of the season was a fluke, not the first. By the end of the year, the Eagles will have a better sense of whether or not Wentz is their franchise quarterback of the future, their first since Donovan McNabb. Ertz will play a big role in determining how the team evaluates their quarterback by the end of the season.
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