The Jets are woefully thin at tight end following Tuesday’s cutdown deadline.
Tyler Kroft and Trevon Wesco are the only players at that position left on the roster after New York released Ryan Griffin, Kenny Yeboah, and Daniel Brown and traded Chris Herndon. Wesco will play fullback in Mike LaFleur’s offense.
New York needs to add another player at that position. That’s where Eagles tight end Zach Ertz could come in.
The 30-year-old received permission to seek a trade in March, but Ertz remains in Philadelphia just a few weeks before the season starts. Ertz would be a welcome addition to a Jets offense in need of more veteran leadership and pass-catching ability from the tight end spot.
Kroft is a serviceable player, but he is a much better blocker than receiver. That’s fine, though. LaFleur needs good blockers for his wide-zone scheme, which will lean heavily on the run. Kroft fits that role well.
Though he’s been known as an adept receiving option throughout his eight-year career, Ertz’s production waned recently. His age, the emergence of Dallas Goedert and the Eagles’ recent offensive woes are among the biggest reasons for Ertz’s fall. But befoe an injury-plagued 2020 season, Ertz averaged 86.2 receptions for 914.4 yards and 5.6 touchdowns from 2015-2019. That’s a skill set the Jets lacked in Chris Herndon and the rest of their recent tight ends.
The Jets wouldn’t have to lean on Ertz’s playmaking ability. They have quality wide receivers in Corey Davis, Jamison Crowder, Elijah Moore and Keelan Cole. You can even throw Denzel Mims and Braxton Berrios into that mix. The backfield of Tevin Coleman, Ty Johnson, Michael Carter and La’Mical Perine also provides solid weapons.
While this may appear like a reason the Jets don’t need Ertz, it also means he wouldn’t need to perform up to his previous Pro Bowl level to contribute to this offense. Ertz would be another safety net for Zach Wilson, instead.
There are two issues with an Ertz trade, though: His contract and what it will cost to acquire him.
Ertz comes with a $6.6 million base salary on top of his $5.8 million in bonuses. The Eagles would likely have to pay the bonus money, though. His base salary bumps up to $8.5 million in 2022. That’s a manageable contract for the Jets, who have around $15 million in salary cap this season and an estimated $63.4 million in 2022, per Over The Cap.
However, it’s also unclear what the Eagles would want in return for Ertz. A lot of teams were interested when Ertz sought a trade in March, but no deal manifested. Clearly, no bidders reached the threshold the Eagles were looking for. If the Jets moved Herndon and a sixth-round pick for a fourth-round pick, it stands to reason the Eagles would want a lot more than that for a productive, albeit aging, tight end. That might be a little too rich for Joe Douglas’ blood. The GM loves draft capital and the Jets are flush with picks for next season.
In all likelihood, the Jets won’t trade for Ertz unless the Eagles scale back their asking price for the tight end. It wouldn’t make sense for a Jets squad that isn’t competing for a division title and still developing its roster to give up valuable assets for a player who is trending downward. But Ertz’s presence would be helpful for the team in the short term, and that’s worth exploring at a position without any depth behind Kroft.
If anyone could pull this off, it’s Douglas, who is familiar with Ertz and the Eagles after spending time there as the vice president of player personnel during most of the tight end’s career. As per usual, it will come down to the price.
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