The Cincinnati Bengals plan to roll with Drew Sample and C.J. Uzomah as their main tight ends this year, but they should seriously consider trading for Zach Ertz, who is still on the trade block.
By trading for Ertz, the Bengals would add another major weapon to Joe Burrow’s offense and this is exactly what he needs to get this team in playoff contention this year. Sample and Uzomah are good players, but Ertz would make the tight end position a more feared one in Cincinnati.
Talks on a potential Zach Ertz trade have been ongoing for quite some time but fairly quiet of late. At least three TE-needy teams have looked into this. Eagles have made clear they won't part for nothing in return, making a release unlikely. Things could pick back up this week.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) June 1, 2021
Ertz is only 30 years old but injuries led to him having the worst season of his career in 2020. He appeared in 11 games and caught 36 passes for 336 yards and just one touchdown during his eighth season but Carson Wentz struggled last year too, which didn’t help Ertz’s numbers.
With a new look in Philadelphia at both head coach, quarterback, and tight end, the former second-round pick out of Stanford is needing a change of scenery and the Bengals make sense here. They have a need at the position and should have filled that need through the draft but failed to do so. Sample is fine, but he hasn’t proved he’s capable of handling starting duties just yet.
Zach Ertz would make Joe Burrow and the Bengals’ offense better.
The previous season, Ertz had 88 receptions for 916 yards and six touchdowns. In 2018, he had 116 receptions for 1,163 yards and eight touchdowns and was considered one of the best tight ends in football. He’s only three years removed from that production and there isn’t any reason to think he couldn’t be that kind of player again, especially with a quarterback like Burrow throwing to him.
Of course, as Jeremy Fowler notes in the tweet above, acquiring Ertz won’t come cheap. Fortunately, the Bengals should be armed with plenty of draft capital to send Philadelphia’s way should they be asking for a few draft picks.
Ertz isn’t worth a first-round pick, but a second or third-round selection seems fair. After all, this is a guy who had over 1,100 yards just three seasons ago and has shown he can take over games when he’s healthy.
It might be a risk to add Ertz but if he pans out, he’d absolutely take this Bengals offense to the next level. Burrow would love having him on the field and it’d be another example of Cincinnati showing their quarterback that they’re committed to adding to his arsenal and giving him plenty of options to throw to.