Tight end Zach Ertz was traded to the Cardinals from the Eagles in October, and now both teams are in the playoffs. The Cardinals are the fifth seed in the NFC, while the Eagles are the seventh seed.
Since joining the Cardinals, Ertz has played a crucial role on the team, becoming their third-best receiver. During the regular season with the Cardinals, Ertz completed 56 of 81 passes for 574 yards. He has also scored three touchdowns. All of these results after playing only 11 games with the Cardinals this season.
So if Ertz is playing so well this year, why would the Eagles trade him? Here’s a look at what caused the Ertz swap in October.
Why did the Eagles trade Zach Ertz?
When Ertz was traded during Week 6 of the regular season, the Eagles and quarterback Jalen Hurts were only using tight ends 22 percent of the time, which was down from the previous season when they used 35 percent of the time. weather. So the Eagles took advantage of saving money in their cap space by getting a player and a pick in exchange.
The Eagles added $5.5 million to their cap space after the Ertz trade, bringing his total amount to $21 million. This gives them more options to explore during the off-season.
Also, the Eagles gained cornerback Tay Gowan in the trade. The Eagles also secured a fifth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft with the trade.
Why did the Cardinals trade for Zach Ertz?
During the week of the trade, the Cardinals lost their star tight end Maxx Williams to a season-ending knee injury. Williams completed 193 receiving yards and a touchdown in the five games he played this season. So at that point, the Cardinals desperately needed a star tight end.
The Cardinals were also 5-0 at the time with early playoff predictions happening. They were the last team to go undefeated this past season, ultimately losing to the Packers when they were 7-0.
Who became the Eagles’ primary tight end?
The Eagles turned to tight end Dallas Goedert to replace Ertz. In his 15 games this season (he missed two games due to COVID-19), he has passed Ertz in yards. Goedert completed 56 of 76 passes for 830 yards. Goedert trails only wide receiver DeVonta Smith in total yards completed by an Eagles receiver this season.