Zach Ertz potential trade candidate according to NFL.com
Veteran tight end Zach Ertz is a player that could be on the move before the season starts, according to NFL.com. Ertz has been with the Eagles since they drafted him early in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft. But, it may change for the All-Pro this season.
NFL.com had this to say about Ertz’s current situation.
“He’s enjoyed a solid training camp by all accounts, but the two most likely days for an Ertz trade were always going to be the third day of the NFL draft and cut-down day,” they wrote. “The Eagles probably can’t get more than a late-round pick for the 30-year-old, so they probably don’t see the value when they need as many reliable pairs of hands for Jalen Hurts as they can get.”
Ertz and Eagles situation
Ertz finds himself in uncharted waters with the Philadelphia franchise. After recording a series of season lows last year and with the team being above the salary cap at the end of last season, the two sides are uncertain about his future with the team.
Ertz struggled last year with an ankle injury that kept him out of five games. Because of that, it looks like his time as the number one tight end on the roster has come to an end. Now, the team will look to Dallas Goedert to fill that role. Not only that but Goedert is a cheaper option since he is still on his rookie contract.
Ertz has said on multiple occasions that he would like to remain on the team or at least finish his career with the Eagles.
“I want to be here, even if for some reason something were to happen, maybe I come back at the end,” he said at an Eagles presser at the end of last year.
What he means to Philadelphia
Ertz is a part of Eagles lore in a few ways. He currently holds the team record for most catches in a single game with 15 and most catches in a single season with 116. Both of these records are all-inclusive records and not just for the tight end position. He is also a key member of the Eagles 2018 Super Bowl-winning team. In the Super Bowl, he caught seven passes for 67 yards. But none were bigger than the go-ahead touchdown pass he caught late in the fourth quarter.
As it currently stands Ertz it’s still a member of the Philadelphia Eagles organization. And as it was pointed out by the NFL.com writer, he still can be serviceable for the Eagles. Philadelphia does not have a lot of veteran depth at any of its past catching positions aside from Ertz. Keeping the sure-handed tight in on the roster would be a benefit to the growth and development of second-year quarterback Jalen Hurts. And with Ertz coming back healthy, look for him to be a reliable weapon, as long as he’s on the team.