Las Vegas Raiders: Should the Raiders pursue Zach Ertz?
By Daniel Davis
The Las Vegas Raiders have one All-Pro tight end in Darren Waller, could they make it two and add another weapon in Derek Carr’s arsenal?
Training camp is a time for all teams to have a well-oiled machine since Week 1 is right around the corner, and the Las Vegas Raiders have a tough matchup against the Baltimore Ravens. Veteran players should be meshing with rookies and mentoring those who are new to the scene.
In Philadelphia, however, the scene is a little less than happy. Zach Ertz has notified the Eagles that he has requested a trade but at what price is the veteran tight end going to be delt?
The first and most obvious landing spot is with the same quarterback and coaching staff that led to his Super Bowl ring with the Indianapolis Colts. After all, Frank Reich and Carson Wentz are the reasons why Ertz was the best in the league at one point.
The second most obvious spot is staying with the Eagles. Nick Sirianni, who oversaw the development of players such as Antonio Gates, Dwayne Bowe, Mo Alie-Cox, and Keenan Allen, could, in theory, tell Ertz to play or sit out and pay him the veteran minimum.
However, this scenario seems unlikely since Ertz has reported to training camp and for all intents and purposes, will be an Eagle come week 1 of the NFL season.
Zac Ertz is a player that is a hybrid wide receiver who plays tight end, the exact same as Darren Waller. He’s too big to be covered by a safety, but too fast to be covered by a linebacker.
Adding a two-tight end set to the Raiders offensive arsenal would provide more blocking power for an offensive line that lost Trent Brown, Rodney Hudson, and Gabe Jackson in the offseason and added an unproven rookie in Alex Leatherwood.
How do the Raiders land Zach Ertz via a trade?
In this scenario, the Raiders give up a fourth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, as they don’t lose much in the trade but they have the potential to gain an All-Pro player on an offense that is largely young and inexperienced outside of the offensive line. Adding more targets to an offense is never a bad thing, especially talent like Zach Ertz. If the Colts end up passing on Ertz, the Raiders should pull the trigger and fast.
Of course, the Raiders could also decide that there is more than enough talent on the roster at the position right now, especially with the rise of Foster Moreau. However, we saw Jon Gruden bring in Jason Witten last year, so anything is possible.