The Eagles tight end is likely to be heading elsewhere, and the Jaguars are one of the options that would make the most sense.
Even after a busy offseason that saw Jacksonville address a number of areas of need, there’s one glaring area of weakness still remaining: the tight end group. The Jags added Chris Manhertz, a backup from Carolina, in free agency as well as drafting Luke Farrell, a primarily blocking tight end, in the fifth round.
Outside of the returning James O’Shaughnessy, who has been a backup to this point in his career but may become a No. 1 option in 2021, the only other bodies are Tyler Davis, a sixth-round pick last year who didn’t appear in a game last year, and Tim Tebow.
Signing Tebow was certainly a bit of a desperation move, but he could also play a more varied role than that of a traditional tight end. Even if Tebow proves himself worthy of a roster spot, the Jaguars need another tight end.
Could Philadelphia’s Zach Ertz be the answer to this problem? With just one year remaining on his deal, it seems the Eagles tight end will be heading elsewhere before the start of the season. He hasn’t participated in offseason activities, and Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that he will not rejoin the team and will wait to be traded or released.
The Jaguars should absolutely look into what it would take to acquire Ertz, given their tight end situation, and the team is listed among the five realistic candidates to land Ertz, per Bleacher Report’s Maurice Moton.
More than eight years after he played his last NFL game, Tim Tebow could claim a roster spot at tight end with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He has a connection with head coach Urban Meyer. They won two national titles on the collegiate level at Florida.
Even if Tebow makes the final roster, he may not play a traditional tight end role. According to ESPN’s Dianna Russini, the Jaguars see him as a Taysom Hill-type player.
As a versatile offensive playmaker, Tebow could take handoffs, throw a few passes and get some targets out wide, which would leave a spot open for a prototypical tight end.
Among the notable veterans on the roster, Chris Manhertz and James O’Shaughnessy have yet to catch 30 passes in a season. Before the 2020 term, they held backup positions. In the fifth round of this year’s draft, Jacksonville selected Luke Farrell, who caught 20 passes for 205 yards and a touchdown in his most productive collegiate campaign at Ohio State in 2018.
With Jacksonville, Ertz wouldn’t have much competition for the top spot at tight end, which is arguably the weakest position on the roster. The Jaguars can do rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence a big favor and add a reliable big target to the passing game.
Bringing Ertz to town would be a big-time move for the Jags. Though he’s coming off an injury-limited season in which he appeared in only 11 games, he had nearly 1,000 yards through the air in 15 games in 2019. Then in 2018, which was the last time he played for a full season, he had 116 catches for 1,163 yards and eight touchdowns — all career highs.
Jacksonville already has a strong young core at receiver between D.J. Chark and Laviska Shenault, and it added a veteran this offseason in Marvin Jones. Bringing in another in Ertz would give Lawrence a top-tier tight end option and fill the biggest remaining roster hole.
