The question has been asked what feels like thousands of times this offseason — what will happen with Zach Ertz and the Eagles?
The answer, according to one NFL analyst, should be a trade to a rebuilding team in the AFC South.
In a recent post on NFL.com, Jeffri Chadiha suggested a trade between the Eagles and the Jacksonville Jaguars that would send Ertz to Florida makes "too much sense."
This is one of those situations that makes too much sense. The Philadelphia Eagles have been shopping Ertz for months. The Jaguars don't have a legitimate receiving threat at that position and are so desperate for help that they're giving Tim Tebow a look. Joining a bottom-feeder franchise probably wouldn't be enticing for Ertz at this stage of his career -- he turns 31 in November -- but he would be a significant upgrade in talent.
Chadiha is right — the Jaguars would be wise to make a deal for Ertz.
Although the Jaguars are not expected to contend for a playoff spot this season, Ertz would be a significant upgrade for them on offense, and would be a major asset for rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence as he begins his NFL career. Ertz proved to be valuable safety net for Carson Wentz during his rookie season, and the chemistry the two developed was a huge help for Wentz early on.
For the Eagles, however, the question remains whether it is truly worth trading Ertz if they aren't getting much back in return.
Despite a down season last year, there is no question the Eagles are a better team with Ertz on it. Although Dallas Goedert will likely be getting the majority of the snaps, the duo of Ertz and Goedert would give the Eagles arguably the best one-two punch at tight end in the NFL. Having two tight ends he could count on would be huge for the development of Jalen Hurts, and since the Eagles actually are going to contend unlike the Jaguars, keeping Ertz could be the difference between making the postseason or missing it.
The chances of Ertz returning to Philadelphia remain slim, although you have to wonder if he would rather come back to the Eagles on his current deal instead of go down to Jacksonville where he would't be contending for a spot in the playoffs.
After a long offseason of wondering what will happen, the reality is we might not be getting an answer anytime soon. The Eagles don't open training camp until the end of July, and at this point, the team could decide to take Ertz into camp and hope an injury on another team increases his trade value.
You can reach Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
