Getty Zach Ertz, subject of a Packers trade rumor proposal
As the Packers prepare to shake off their bye week and get back to action in Week 7, they’re also looking up at the NFL trade deadline, which looms on October 31. There are holes on the roster, but there is also the pull of standing pat and letting the team’s young roster to develop as-is. Still, Packers trade rumors figure to be plentiful in the coming days.
One area the Packers could address would be providing a reliable, veteran pass-catcher to act as a safety valve for new quarterback Jordan Love, who is being asked to learn the ropes as an every-week starter with a receiving crew that has as little or less experience than he does.
With that in mind, CBS Sports, in rolling through 15 projected deals, has thrown this log onto the Packers trade-rumor fire: Taking on Cardinals tight end Zach Ertz while sending a sixth-round pick to Arizona.
“Three years after reportedly inquiring about Ertz when the former Pro Bowler played for the Eagles, Green Bay has a need for an experienced safety valve in an erratic passing game featuring young QB Jordan Love,” writer Cody Benjamin noted. “Ertz, meanwhile, would probably welcome another move while playing in rotation with younger counterpart Tre McBride on a rebuilding Arizona squad.”
Zach Ertz Does Not Fit Packers Trade-Rumor Mold
Now, Ertz does not fit the Packers’ trade-rumor profile at all. He is 32 years old and on the tail end of his career. Ertz does have three Pro Bowl appearances to his credit, but those came from 2017-2019, when he was in Philadelphia. He is not a great blocker, either.
What’s more, he plays the same position as prized second-round pick Luke Musgrave, whom the Packers see as a future star.
That’s the downside. The upside, though, is obvious to anyone who’s watched the Packers through Love’s first five games here. When he gets in trouble in the pocket, he is not quite sure what to do. Not that he is panicking—just that he does not know which of his very youthful receivers he can trust.
Despite his age and waning ability, Ertz is at least someone Love could trust, an experienced hand who would be sure to be available on those also must-have third downs or other tight situations. Ertz also could help mentor Musgrave and give the offense a little of the veteran leadership it lost when David Bakhtiari got hurt.
Packers Deal History: Not Plentiful
Now, that is probably a pipe dream. The Packers are not big on in-season, deadline-type trades, and have not made a significant incoming deal since trading for Vernand Morency in 2006, though that deal strains the definition of, “significant.”
Still, the Packers have thrust Jordan Love into the spotlight in the wake of the dramatic departure of Aaron Rodgers, and it’s not fair to give him a receiving crew made up entirely of rookies and second-year players, guys who have been in the NFL less time than Love. Fourth-year backup tight end Josiah Deguara is the only experienced pass-catcher on the roster, and he has just seven receptions this year.
Love deserves more help. As long as that’s the case, there will be Packers trade rumors involving veterans.