The Jacksonville Jaguars tight end upgrade is hiding in plain sight
Tim Tebow sure ain't it, and a clear upgrade at tight end for the Jacksonville Jaguars is hiding in plain sight.
The Jacksonville Jaguars will sign Tim Tebow soon…to play tight end. It’s no guarantee he makes it to Week 1, but he’ll drive interest and the Jaguars are now ready-made for HBO’s “Hard Knocks” this year.
Tebow has not play an NFL regular season game since 2012 with the New York Jets. The video clip of his one NFL target is comical, expected and lame all at once. And Tebow is now 33 years, though apparently in top-notch physical shape (compared to you and me, at least).
A look at the Jaguars tight end depth chart is not inspiring. Chris Manhertz, James O’Shaughnessy, Luke Farrell, Ben Ellefson and Tyler Davis have combined for 101 catches in the NFL. So there’s an opportunity for Tebow, and his former college coach Urban Meyer was the only one who would even think about giving it to him. The aforementioned five guys have at least played tight end in their lives though.
If Meyer really wanted to upgrade at tight end, the draft might have been a good path before taking another former player in Farrell. Bringing back free agent Tyler Eifert might have even been an option (and could still be?). But there’s a real upgrade, hiding in plain sight.
It’s no secret the Philadelphia Eagles will trade tight end Zach Ertz, and would’ve already if there was a deal out there they liked. He’s coming off the worst year of his career (36 catches for 335 yards and a touchdown in 11 games), but injuries stand as a reason (or an excuse). In the previous six seasons, he never failed to top 700 yards and he topped 800 yards in the last five seasons of that stretch.
Entering the final year of his contract at 30 years old, Ertz is likely to be a bridge player at tight end for the Jaguars. Landing in Jacksonville might work nicely for him, with an opportunity to rehab his value then hit the free agent market. Cap space is no issue, as the Jaguars have a league-high $39.7 million available right now to take on Ertz’ $12.72 million hit.
Meyer’s start as an NFL head coach is off to a fairly bumpy start. He made a decision to hire a strength coach he apparently thought no one would notice, and the Jaguars’ overall draft strategy was questionable. Now he’s embracing the Tebow gimmick, which is set to divide the organization as the sideshow robs others of opportunities. So maybe Ertz, as much as he may have say in where he’s traded, wouldn’t want to join the circus. Though they should have interest, the Jaguars won’t be putting the Eagles in a position to try to do right by Ertz and ask him about a trade offer.