Chiefs rumors: Does Zach Ertz make sense for Kansas City?

On Thursday, the Arizona Cardinals heard the request of veteran tight end Zach Ertz and decided to comply by providing him with his outright release from the roster. The move opens up a spot for the Cardinals to move forward with some youth, who are sunk in the NFC South with a record of 2-10. For Ertz, however, it gives him a chance to contend late in his career.

Former NFL player J.J. Watt had fun breaking the actual news online and even poked fun of ESPN reporter Adam Schefter, who is ubiquitous on social media with such scoops. Check out Watt's official post on Twitter below:

Given Ertz's stated desire to still play and contend, it's easy to create a zeroed-in list of teams who might be in play for Ertz. Certainly among those would be the Kansas City Chiefs given their status as defending champions and the fact that they're in full control of their playoff destiny. After all, they can reclaim the AFC's top seed with a win over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday and are on a clear path to an incredible eighth consecutive AFC West title.

For those who want to connect Ertz with Andy Reid, just know that the two missed each other by a single season in Philly. Reid signed on to be head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs back in 2013, the same season that Ertz was the Eagles' second-round selection in the NFL Draft at No. 35 overall.

While an official connection might not be there, however, K.C. presents an interesting scenario. Imagine the sorts of three tight end scenarios in red zone situations or otherwise where the Chiefs would have so many reliably large targets. Together with Travis Kelce and Noah Gray, Ertz would give the Chiefs remarkable talent to scheme up mismatches in 13 personnel.

What does Ertz have left in the tank? That might be the biggest question of all. Just last year in 10 games, Ertz, at the age of 32, had 47 catches for 406 yards and 4 touchdowns on a miserable Cardinals team, so he's proven he can be productive even after a decade in the league. However, he's already missed time this year with a quad injury, so it's hard to tell what he would bring to the table for the rest of '23.

The Chiefs also already have an All-Pro in place to feed at tight end and Noah Gray has certainly grown into a nice second tight end who is likely capable of more if given the targets and/or responsibilities. Do the Chiefs need yet another potential mouth to feed at the position when someone at wide receiver would make more sense if they're shopping for a veteran?

Well, here's the thing: beggars can't be choosers and there's nothing Ertz can do about playing WR or not. What has been presented, however, is a proven veteran tight end with extensive experience, great hands, and high intelligence who could likely slide right into any NFL offense fairly quickly and become a plus asset.

While it might make more sense for Ertz to head to Baltimore, where Mark Andrews has been lost for the season, or Philadelphia, which would feel like home, it's worth checking out. For the right price, and if Ertz is interested, it would be a move worth making for Chiefs general manager Brett Veach.

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