With free agency quickly approaching and the 2021 NFL Draft shortly after that, teams are getting ready to revamp their rosters. There has already been plenty of action in the quarterback market, but one team that isn’t looking to upgrade at quarterback is the Cincinnati Bengals. However, a tight end like the Philadelphia Eagles’ Zach Ertz could make a lot of sense.
Cincinnati already has their quarterback of the future in Joe Burrow, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. The former LSU Tiger was having a great start to his career before a knee injury cut it short.
In 10 games, Burrow threw for 2,688 yards and 13 touchdowns, completing 65.3 percent of his passes with only five interceptions. However, he was sacked an insane 32 times in those games, which makes the Bengals’ needs clear. They have to upgrade the protection for their cornerstone quarterback.
Armed with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Bengals will undoubtedly be looking to upgrade the offensive line. Alas, with most rebuilding teams, Cincinnati has multiple holes they need to fill. So, why not try and swing a trade that will help fill in those gaps?
In this proposed trade, the Bengals swap with the Philadelphia Eagles. Philadelphia has dominated headlines as they traded Carson Wentz to the Indianapolis Colts. This deal is for their long-term tight end, Zach Ertz.
The Bengals would receive Ertz and the No 6 overall pick in the draft, while Philadelphia would receive the No. 5 overall pick in 2021 and a 2021 fifth-round pick. This would be the Bengals taking advantage of the tough spot the Eagles are in.
Philadelphia cannot afford to extend Ertz given their horrible cap situation. And coming off an injury-riddled season at 30 years old, there isn’t much leverage here for Philadelphia. Flipping Ertz would open up the starting spot full-time for Dallas Goedert and save the team some cap space.
For the Bengals, this trade is a no-brainer. They get Burrow another weapon to throw to, joining wide receivers Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins. Ertz is a major upgrade at the tight end spot for Cincinnati as well. The Bengals also move down only one pick, so there is a good chance the offensive linemen they are targeting, such as Penei Sewell, would still be available.
This is a trade that makes sense for both sides. The Eagles have one of the worst cap situations in the league and the Bengals are looking to help further develop Burrow at quarterback.
Philadelphia and Cincinnati would both come away happy with this swap.
