The Philadelphia Eagles are unlikely to re-sign tight end Zach Ertz, so they might as well flip him to another team. These three destinations are the perfect fit for him.
NFL teams have until this Tuesday, Election Day, to make a big splash trades with the hopes of making a push to the playoffs. When it comes to the Philadelphia Eagles, they’re in a bit of a confusing spot. While they have a less than ideal 2-4-1 record on the season, they hold sole possession of first place in the NFC East. They likely won’t make a decision on whether to sell or buy at the trade deadline until after their Week 8 game against the Dallas Cowboys. But one player who won’t be on the move is Zach Ertz.
The Eagles placed the star tight end on the short-term injured reserve with an ankle sprain, which means they will be unable to trade him at the Nov. 3 deadline. The two sides are reportedly on bad terms after they couldn’t reach an agreement on a contract extension prior to the regular-season. While they can’t trade him now, that doesn’t mean they can’t flip him next offseason, albeit for lesser value. And there are plenty of teams who are in need of a top-tier tight end.
Here are three possible trade destinations for Zach Ertz.
3.
Cincinnati Bengals
AFC North
The Cincinnati Bengals only notched a single win last year, and that gave them the rights to select Joe Burrow with the first-overall pick. Through the first seven weeks, the former LSU Tiger has proven that he’s the quarterback they’ve been missing since Carson Palmer left the organization. While the Bengals aren’t winning many games, they’re way more competitive with Burrow under center. But for them to take the next step into potential playoff contention, he needs better complementary players.
In the early goings of the season, Burrow showed he had great chemistry with tight end C.J. Uzomah. That relationship paused during Week 2, as he suffered a torn Achilles while playing against the Cleveland Browns. Drew Sample has picked up the slack in Uzomah’s absence, but neither are the longterm answers for the Bengals. With Burrow still playing under his rookie contract, now’s the time for the front office to spend money (which they’ll have plenty of next year) and give him some serious weapons.
Ertz has been coming off a poor year before his ankle ailment, but he’s shown throughout his career that he’s a consistent pass-catching option up the middle of the field. Best believe that the Bengals would explore the idea of acquiring Ertz at some point next offseason.