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As NFL teams entered free agency, Washington Commanders general manager Adam Peters said that one of the team's focuses this offseason was to get younger and faster. With the moves that they made, that feat is well underway and progressing nicely.
One of the players they signed early in free agency was Tennessee Titans' tight end Chigoziem (Chig) Okonkwo. With Zach Ertz aging, injured, and becoming a free agent, it was the right time to part ways with the veteran and bring in some youth. Okonkwo is a different breed of tight end, though, so 106.7 The Fan brought on ESPN's Titans' insider Turron Davenport to gain some insight.
When asked what Washington is getting in Chig Okonkwo, Davenport didn't hold back.
"Well, I'll tell you this, he's the total opposite of Zach Ertz in that he's gonna get you YAC. That's one of his biggest specialties. He's a guy, you know how they have the angry scepter metaphor? He has a series of angry runs, man. As far as the YAC's concerned, the way he's able to catch the ball and turn into a running back instantly is something that stands out. He'll run through tackles, and, believe it or not, at his size, he still has the speed to pull away.
You go back, and you look at the [Houston] Texans game last year in Houston, you look two years ago against the Chiefs, and you see this guy catch the ball and break a tackle and put his 'get-somewhere' shoes on and take it to the house."
Davenport has covered Okonkwo since the Titans drafted him in 2022, and he's seen the raw deal the tight end has had the last few seasons. We really got to see what he is capable of in 2025 with Cam Ward throwing him the ball, but prior to that, the Titans simply didn't know how to use him.
Okonkwo isn't going to block well; that's not his forte. But he will absolutely get you yards after the catch. He ranked in the top 10 tight ends for YAC in 2025 with 342, which is roughly inside the top 25% of all pass catchers. And that was with a rookie quarterback and losing a head coach, so imagine what he will do with a team that uses him correctly and has stability.
He hasn't been recognized as much as guys like Dallas Goedert and Trey McBride because he hasn't had the same volume of catches. But Okonkwo is easily one of the most underrated tight ends in the NFL, and we might see him have a breakout season in 2026.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: TE Chig Okonkwo 'total opposite' of Zach Ertz
Continue reading...
One of the players they signed early in free agency was Tennessee Titans' tight end Chigoziem (Chig) Okonkwo. With Zach Ertz aging, injured, and becoming a free agent, it was the right time to part ways with the veteran and bring in some youth. Okonkwo is a different breed of tight end, though, so 106.7 The Fan brought on ESPN's Titans' insider Turron Davenport to gain some insight.
When asked what Washington is getting in Chig Okonkwo, Davenport didn't hold back.
"Well, I'll tell you this, he's the total opposite of Zach Ertz in that he's gonna get you YAC. That's one of his biggest specialties. He's a guy, you know how they have the angry scepter metaphor? He has a series of angry runs, man. As far as the YAC's concerned, the way he's able to catch the ball and turn into a running back instantly is something that stands out. He'll run through tackles, and, believe it or not, at his size, he still has the speed to pull away.
You go back, and you look at the [Houston] Texans game last year in Houston, you look two years ago against the Chiefs, and you see this guy catch the ball and break a tackle and put his 'get-somewhere' shoes on and take it to the house."
Davenport has covered Okonkwo since the Titans drafted him in 2022, and he's seen the raw deal the tight end has had the last few seasons. We really got to see what he is capable of in 2025 with Cam Ward throwing him the ball, but prior to that, the Titans simply didn't know how to use him.
Okonkwo isn't going to block well; that's not his forte. But he will absolutely get you yards after the catch. He ranked in the top 10 tight ends for YAC in 2025 with 342, which is roughly inside the top 25% of all pass catchers. And that was with a rookie quarterback and losing a head coach, so imagine what he will do with a team that uses him correctly and has stability.
He hasn't been recognized as much as guys like Dallas Goedert and Trey McBride because he hasn't had the same volume of catches. But Okonkwo is easily one of the most underrated tight ends in the NFL, and we might see him have a breakout season in 2026.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: TE Chig Okonkwo 'total opposite' of Zach Ertz
Continue reading...
