The Philadelphia Eagles already made one major trade this offseason when they sent Carson Wentz to the Indianapolis Colts. Now, they could move another key offensive contributor.
According to NFL Network's Mike Silver, the Eagles could deal tight end Zach Ertz "in the coming days," and "multiple teams" are interested in acquiring Ertz.
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Of course, Ertz has long been rumored to be available. But it wasn't clear how many teams were interested in trading for Ertz and his $12.4 million cap hit.
Now, with it clear that Ertz seems more likely to be traded than cut, it's worth asking, could the New England Patriots be among the team's interested in Ertz?
The teams in the running for Ertz aren't known at the moment, but given the Patriots' poor tight end situation, they should certainly consider trading for Ertz.
Last season, the Patriots saw their tight ends catch just 18 passes. They need to add some proven talent to the position after drafting Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keene in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft last year, and Ertz could prove to be just that.
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Ertz outpaced the Patriots' tight ends in 2020, recording 36 catches for 335 yards and one TD while playing in just 11 games. Those numbers were all career-lows, too, so if Ertz can stay healthy and bounce back, he could re-emerge as a quality starter.
At 30 years old, Ertz wouldn't be a long-term answer at the tight end position. That said, he would be the best starter that the Patriots have had at the position for the last two seasons, and he should have a few good seasons left in the tank.
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There are other paths the Patriots could take to upgrade the tight end spot but if trading for Ertz comes cheap enough, they should at least consider it. He wouldn't put them over the top, but it would be a nice start in their efforts to upgrade their lackluster group of pass-catching weapons.