Former Philadelphia Eagles tight end Zach Ertz showed that there is no love lost between him and his old organization after a brutal block on Cooper DeJean.

The Washington Commanders were 1st-and-goal at the one-yard line in the opening quarter of ‘Thursday Night Football’ against the Eagles, and running back Brian Robinson Jr. rushed in for the opening touchdown. However, Ertz was seen sprinting to block Eagles cornerback DeJean and continued to push him until he was outside the back of the end zone.

NFL fans instantly noticed the savage block from Ertz, with NFL insider Mike Garafolo posting on X – “Zach Ertz with a block I haven’t seen since ‘The Blind Side'” – as he referenced the 2009 movie that tells the story of Michael Oher, a football offensive lineman. One fan also wrote: “Can tell this one means a lot.”

Ertz ended up scoring a late touchdown with 28 seconds remaining in the game, but the damage was already done as Eagles running back Saquon Barkley rushed for 146 yards and two touchdowns, with another 52 yards in the air. Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts also scored from the one-yard line, as Philadelphia went on to beat Washington 26-18.

Ertz spent nine seasons with the Eagles after being selected in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft but was traded to the Arizona Cardinals in 2021. Ertz faced an uncertain 12 months but appears to have found a home in Washington and let off some steam on Thursday.

At the Cardinals, Ertz scored five touchdowns in his first season and earned a three-year, $31.65 million extension on March 13, 2022. Ertz made a fast start to 2023 with four touchdowns through the opening 10 weeks but then suffered a season-ending knee injury.

The following year, Ertz lasted seven weeks before ending up on injured reserve and was waived on Nov. 30, 2023, after requesting to be released by the Cardinals. Since then, Ertz spent time on the Detroit Lions practice squad before earning a one-year deal with the Commanders.

Ahead of facing his former team on Thursday night, Ertz told The Washington Post: “I mean, obviously, everyone kind of knows how I feel about that place — special place in our hearts,” Ertz said. “Was there for a long time, nine years.

“And so, it’ll be great to see a lot of people I haven’t seen in a long time. But at the same time, just excited to go out there and play football. Short week, being able to get over the Steelers game quickly is going to be good. And just the opportunity for us to go out there and show what we can do on a national stage.

“I’m not making this any bigger than it needs to be. Everyone knows how I feel about them, so I’m just looking forward to the game.” Ertz has faced the Eagles over the years but never in Philadelphia, making for a very different experience.

“I’ve played them before, so I’ve seen a lot of the people that travel and are part of the football operation,” Ertz added. “But there’s a lot of people I haven’t seen — people that don’t necessarily travel, some of the stadium people I haven’t seen in a long time. And, obviously, I have friends on the team, but the team has changed a lot as well.”