When Maxx Williams was lost for the season with a knee injury, the Cardinals had a need at tight end.
Friday morning, they filled the need with a talented replacement.
The Cardinals traded for veteran tight end Zach Ertz, a player with whom the team had been potentially linked since the offseason, sending the Philadelphia Eagles rookie cornerback Tay Gowan and a 2022 fifth-round draft pick. The trade is contingent on both players passing physicals.
Ertz, who is scheduled to be a free agent after the season, caught a touchdown pass for the Eagles in their loss Thursday night against the Buccaneers. He was emotional after the game, and speculation was that he could be dealt.
Ertz is owed roughly $5.5 million the balance of this season. He had 18 catches for 189 yards and two touchdowns for the Eagles in six games. He is a three-time Pro Bowler and made the All-Pro team in 2018.
Gowan was a project for the Cardinals. The rookie made the 53-man roster but was raw and had not been active on game days even with the Cardinals suffering injuries at the position.
With his contract situation, Ertz — without an extension — had been looking to move on last offseason. There were many who made connections to the Cardinals, both because the Cards were seen as a team that needed tight end help and also with Ertz’s wife — Julie, a member of the U.S. National Women’s Soccer Team — having grown up in nearby Mesa.
Williams went on injured reserve earlier this week. The rest of the tight end room includes Darrell Daniels and Demetrius Harris, with Richard Rodgers and Ross Travis on the practice squad.
