2020 PHILADELPHIA EAGLES MEDIA GUIDE
JUSTIN PEELLE
TIGHT ENDS
NFL Experience: 8th season (8th with Eagles)
College: Oregon Hometown: Dublin, CA
COACHING TIMELINE
YEARS TEAM POSITION
2015- Philadelphia Eagles Tight Ends
2013-14 Philadelphia Eagles Assistant Tight Ends
Justin Peelle was originally named the Eagles assistant tight ends
coach during the 2013 offseason after finishing a 10-year NFL career
as a tight end in 2012. After spending two years in the role, Peelle was
promoted to tight ends coach during the 2015 offseason.
Peelle has played an impactful role in the development of three-
time Pro Bowl TE Zach Ertz, who has more catches (525) than any NFL
tight end in their first seven seasons and ranks second on the Eagles’
all-time receptions list, trailing only Pro Football Hall of Famer Harold
Carmichael (589, 1971-83). Ertz, who caught the game-winning touch-
down in Super Bowl LII, also owns the NFL single-season record for
receptions (116 in 2018) by a tight end.
In 2019, Ertz and second-year TE Dallas Goedert were vital to the
success of the Eagles’ offense. Ertz, who was selected to his third con-
secutive Pro Bowl, ranked third among NFL tight ends in receptions (88),
fourth in receiving yards (916) and tied for fourth in receiving touch-
downs (six). Goedert also posted Top 10 finishes among tight ends in
receptions (58, 9th), receiving yards (607, 10th), receiving touchdowns
(five, tied for seventh) and yards after the catch (331, 6th).
Under Peelle’s direction in 2018, Ertz turned in a season for the
ages. Ertz set the single-season record for receptions by an NFL TE
(116), surpassing the previous mark of 110 set by Jason Witten in 2012.
His 116 catches also set a single-season team record, surpassing Brian
Westbrook in 2007 (90). Ertz, who finished second in the NFL in total
receptions, earned his second-consecutive trip to the Pro Bowl. Peelle
also helped develop Goedert, the Eagles top pick in the 2018 NFL Draft,
who registered four receiving TDs, which tied for the most by a rookie
tight end in 2018 and tied for 6th among all rookies.
Eagles tight ends excelled during the team’s 2017 Super Bowl sea-
son, as Philadelphia was one of just two teams in the NFL to boast two
TEs with at least five receiving touchdowns each (Ertz and Trey Burton).
Ertz was named to his first career Pro Bowl after finishing third in the
NFL among tight ends with 824 receiving yards and logging a career-high
eight touchdowns. Burton logged a career-high five touchdowns and TE
Brent Celek continued to be a force in the run game.
In 2016, under Peelle’s guidance, Ertz led the Eagles in receptions
(78), receiving yards (816) and receiving touchdowns (four). Ertz’s 78
catches ranked fifth in the NFL among tight ends in 2016.
Peelle took over as the Eagles tight ends coach in 2015 and helped
Ertz set career highs in receptions (75) and receiving yards (853). In the
final four weeks of the season, Ertz became a focal point of the offense
as he went on to total 35 catches for 450 receiving yards. His perfor-
mance over that four-game stretch set an NFL record for most receiving
yards by a tight end from Weeks 14-17.
Peelle coached a group of Eagles tight ends in 2014 that combined
for 93 catches, 1,101 yards and six touchdowns, led by Ertz who hauled
in 58 catches for 702 yards and three TDs. In addition to Ertz, TEs James
Casey and Celek also found the end zone in 2014, marking the sixth
time in franchise history and the first time since 2007 that the Eagles
featured three tight ends with at least one receiving touchdown in the
same season. Ertz’s 15 receptions at Washington (Dec. 20, 2014) set a
single-game franchise record. In 2014, the Eagles tight ends contributed
to an offense that set franchise records in points (474), touchdowns (54),
completions (390), gross passing yards (4,581) and first downs (356).
In his first year as a member of the Eagles coaching staff in 2013,
Peelle helped the Eagles offense set franchise records in points (442
- broken in 2014), total net yards (6,676), touchdowns (53 - broken in
2014), passing yards (4,406 - broken in 2014) and fewest turnovers (19).
With Peelle’s assistance, the Eagles 14.2 yards per catch was the highest
by any team since the 2000 St. Louis Rams (14.5).
Originally a fourth-round draft choice of the Chargers in 2002,
Peelle played in the NFL for 10 seasons with the San Diego Chargers
(2002-05), Miami Dolphins (2006-07), Atlanta Falcons (2008-10) and San
Francisco 49ers (2011), amassing 123 receptions for 1,003 yards and 12
TDs in 151 games. He was also a member of Pittsburgh’s training camp
roster in 2012, but was released during final roster cutdown.
Playing collegiately at Oregon, Peelle finished his career with 70
catches for 944 yards and 14 touchdowns in 42 games. He earned first-
team All-Pac 10 honors as a senior, finishing as a semi-finalist for the
John Mackey Award (given annually to the nation’s top tight end) after
collecting 34 catches for 491 yards and nine touchdowns.
A four-time All-Pac-10 Academic Team selection, Peelle graduat-
ed from Oregon with a degree in political science. Born on March 15,
1979, he and his wife, Sara, have two sons, Morris and Thompson, and a
daughter, Ada.
