Making Sense of Seahawks' Interest in Veteran TE Zach Ertz
During the early stages of the offseason, NFL teams across the league landscape are already bracing for an unprecedented salary cap squeeze created by fan-less stadiums as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Over the past week, stars such as former Texans defensive end J.J. Watt and former Panthers defensive tackle Kawann Short have been released to offload their massive contracts. Considering the dire cap situations the vast majority of teams find themselves in, Watt and Short certainly won't be the last marquee players to receive a pink slip as teams try to open up much-needed financial flexibility.
Among the teams expected to be most dramatically impacted by the NFL's salary cap plunge, the Eagles currently find themselves an estimated $49 million in the red thanks to a bevy of bloated veteran contracts. With a new coach in tow, the franchise looks poised to execute a full-scale rebuild and has been actively trying to move long-time starting quarterback Carson Wentz for draft picks.
Wentz is far from the only veteran that general manager Howie Roseman will need to jettison this winter to help get Philadelphia above the cap. Keeping that in mind, it shouldn't come as a surprise that other notable, high-priced talents such as tight end Zach Ertz are being shopped as part of a colossus salary dump.
While the Colts have been involved in discussions for both Wentz and Ertz - both players would be reunited with coach Frank Reich, who served as offensive coordinator in Philadelphia when the Eagles won the Super Bowl - they aren't the only team that has reportedly checked in on the veteran tight end's availability. Per Ed Kracz of Eagle Maven and as confirmed by multiple sources, the Seahawks have also emerged as a potential suitor.
On the surface, Seattle's interest in Ertz makes a great deal of sense. General manager John Schneider never leaves a stone unturned and the team lost Greg Olsen to retirement last month, 2020 seventh-round pick Stephen Sullivan signed with Carolina, and Jacob Hollister will be an unrestricted free agent in March, leaving only Will Dissly, Colby Parkinson, and Tyler Mabry on the current depth chart. While Dissly has 55 receptions in 26 career games, Parkinson and Mabry have played a combined 51 total offensive snaps in the league.
A three-time Pro Bowler and one-time All-Pro selection, Ertz would instantly provide an upgrade at the position, at least in terms of receiving ability. From 2015 to 2019, he posted five straight seasons with at least 74 receptions and 800 receiving yards, including producing a career-best 1,163 receiving yards and eight touchdowns in 2018. Since being drafted back in 2013, he's received at least a 72.8 receiving grade from Pro Football Focus in every season except for last year, proving to be one of the league's most consistent performers.
While blocking isn't necessarily a strength for Ertz, he has been serviceable in that department throughout his career as well. He hasn't graded out well in recent years, but did post back-to-back seasons with a 74.3 and 80.3 run blocking grade in 2014 and 2015, illustrating he's capable of being an effective inline blocker.
With Shane Waldron taking over as the Seahawks new offensive coordinator, there's a strong chance tight ends will be emphasized more in the passing game than they were under incumbent play caller Brian Schottenheimer. During his time as a passing game coordinator for the Rams, Tyler Higbee and Gerald Everett emerged as key components of their aerial attack, catching a combined 291 receptions for 2,080 yards and 11 touchdowns during the last two seasons.
From that perspective, it's easy to see why Seattle may want to make a big splash and go fishing for a proven Pro Bowl-caliber tight end such as Ertz to feature in Waldron's offense. But there are plenty of reasons why orchestrating such a move doesn't make sense for the franchise, either.
Though the Seahawks aren't in the same zip code as the Eagles when it comes to financial problems, Schneider doesn't have much cap flexibility at the moment. OverTheCap.com estimates the organization has only $4.9 million in cap space to work with, and while moves can be made to create space, conducting such transactions to acquire an aging tight end with a hefty price tag seems questionable.
Set to turn 31 in November, Ertz carries a cap hit north of $12 million in 2021. If Seattle acquired him via trade, the team would be on the hook for $8.25 million of that amount, which would already put the team over the cap with a month remaining until free agency begins. That's not an ideal usage of limited cap space, especially with quarterback Russell Wilson speaking publicly about his desire for improved pass protection.
Then there's the whole compensation issue Schneider would have to tackle. His team not only lacks necessary cap space to go after Ertz, but they have just four picks in April's draft. The Eagles will be looking to get younger and will want draft capital to accelerate their rebuild, and quite frankly, unless the Seahawks want to move 2022 picks, they don't have the assets necessary to meet those demands.
Even if Schneider decides he's willing to absorb Ertz's contract and offload a draft pick to acquire him, it's worth wondering what player Seattle would receive in return. If he's back healthy, he could be a strong candidate for a rebound season, especially with Wilson serving as a substantial upgrade over Wentz and Jalen Hurts. Under that premise, if he approaches his numbers pre-2020, he may be worth every penny.
But what if Ertz isn't the same player he used to be? What if all of the bumps and bruises he's endured in recent years have sapped him of his play making ability? Though he's five years younger than Olsen was when the team signed him in February 2020, Ertz has likewise battled injuries, is coming off a down season with a career-low 335 receiving yards and just one touchdown, and he's now on the wrong side of 30.
After paying Olsen $7 million and receiving just 24 receptions and a touchdown as a return on investment, Schneider simply can't afford to make the same mistake twice.
Assuming the two sides continue to discuss a possible deal, if Ertz is open to a restructured contract to lower his cap hit and the Eagles will take a late-round pick from 2022 in exchange, then the move may be worth the gamble. But if not, the Seahawks should turn the stone back over and move on to their next alternative for addressing the tight end position.
