Tight ends have long been important in Chip Kelly's offenses, being involved in a dozen plays per game or more over Kelly's tenure at Oregon. So knowing the roles for Brent Celek, James Casey and Zach Ertz in the Eagles offense this season is pretty important.
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Celek is considered a blocker while Casey and Ertz will battle for work as pass catchers. That's a bit of a surprise considering Celek has 280 career catches in the pros while Casey and Ertz have combined for less than 200 in their respective times in college and the pros.
But the thinking is that Celek is the least athletic of the three and might be the easiest to cover in space, making Casey and Ertz both deep sleepers this summer. There's also a decent chance both Celek and one from Casey and Ertz will play a lot in two-tight end sets. Kelly has even hinted at using three tight ends at once.
This is an interesting spot to watch in training camp, particularly if Casey comes alive. He's a giant with some good speed and could be a mismatch nightmare for opposing defenses -- not to mention a boon to whoever is quarterbacking the Eagles this year. He's on the deep sleeper list.