THANKS, ZACH
Eagles star Ertz helped unsung TE land in NYC
It’s time to knock a couple of points off Zach Ertz’s reputation as a Giants-killer.
Ertz has scored 20 percent of his touchdowns during a six-year career against the Giants, and the last one (No. 7) was a Dec. 10 overtime game-winner. But he also unknowingly helped deliver a promising rookie to his NFC East rival when he advised a fellow Stanford tight end.
Kaden Smith — who had Giants fans excitedly asking “Who?” after he caught two touchdown passes, including his own overtime game-winner, Sunday against the Redskins — said one of his calls before forgoing a year of NCAA eligibility to enter the 2019 NFL Draft was to Ertz. Smith and Ertz sometimes trained together on campus in past summers.
“Whatever he is doing, just listen and do that,” Smith told The Post of his memories from those workouts. “I called him when I was deciding whether to come out or not, or whether it was agents or where to train. He had a good game against us, which, any other week, I’d be cheering for him.”
Smith and Ertz chatted before that Week 14 matchup and probably will circle back Sunday, provided Ertz (fractured ribs) makes the trip when the Eagles visit the Giants in the season finale.
Maybe they will be on opposite sides for years to come now that Smith, who was drafted but cut by the 49ers, has 23 catches for 170 yards and three touchdowns in the past six games for the Giants. He played all 70 offensive snaps last week.
“I just felt like I was ready for the NFL life,” said Smith, who will take classes towards his degree in the offseason. “My goal is to play until I can’t anymore. If it was here the whole time, that would be awesome.”
In a display of trust, Smith was Daniel Jones’ first read on third-and-goal from the 3-yard line in overtime. He had so many congratulations on his phone that he is waiting until next week to respond so he can keep focus.
“They said, ‘ Win [your matchup], get over there fast and don’t drift,’ ” Smith said of the decisive play call, possibly designed by two backup quarterbacks. “I believe Eli [Manning] and [Alex] Tanney said they drew it up, so they did a good job with it. … Now it’s just a matter of me being consistent and being able to do a little bit more.”
The top of the Giants’ full-strength tight end depth chart has gone unchanged for three seasons: Evan Engram and Rhett Ellison, who joined the roster in 2017, as a firstround draft pick and a free agent, respectively.
But Engram has missed 13 of 32 games over the past two seasons with various injuries, and the Giants must decide before he practices again whether to exercise his fifth-year option for 2021. Engram’s name constantly swirls in trade rumors and adding another year of team control makes him a more desirable chip.
The Giants can save $5 million against the salary cap by cutting Ellison after the season. He has missed five straight games with a concussion. The overlapping Ellison and Engram absences opened an opportunity for Smith.
“He was a guy that we liked quite a bit coming out of the draft,” coach Pat Shurmur said. “We were very fortunate that he was available. Since he’s been here, he’s really made steady improvements. He’s had production in the passing game. He’s sort of a tough, gritty guy that takes his blocking seriously. And he has a good feel for things.”
The 49ers cut Smith on Sept. 14, with the intention of sneaking their sixth-round pick onto the practice squad. Smith is a former Stanford teammate of Jake Lynch, son of 49ers general manager John Lynch. Talk about an introduction to the cutthroat NFL.
“I wasn’t mad. They were like, ‘ You are not ready yet, but you will be soon,’ ” Smith said. “I want to be both a guy who can play on third down and a guy who can play on first-and-10. My college career, I was definitely more of a pass-catcher. I did a poor job at bringing my [blocking] technique from practice to games. I feel like I’m doing a better job at that now.”
The Giants claimed Smith’s four-year contract off waivers and kept him inactive for a few weeks as insurance for a situation just like this one.
“Doing scout team the first maybe eight weeks I was here helped me develop and learn all the new techniques, learn the plays,” Smith said. “The biggest thing was taking every single rep — and taking advantage of it and not looking at it as something I have to do. I enjoyed it.”
He enjoyed his breakout Sunday more. This week, Ertz will be watching.