The Washington Commanders are reportedly shifting gears as their 2025 campaign unravels. Their demoralizing 38-14 blowout Sunday Night Football loss to the Seattle Seahawks was ostensibly the straw that broke the camel's back.
NFL insider Jordan Schultz revealed that the Commanders "have been open to" parting ways with "several players" ahead of the league's November 4 trade deadline. The intel comes the day after the Seahawks blew the doors off Washington in their own building.
Washington's downfall is a massive, albeit arguably necessary setback that exposed them probably over their skis in 2024. A year-over-year descent from darling team to a club effectively out of playoff contention has forced them to re-evaluate their standing. Knowing this, we could see some Commanders veterans dealt, one of whom can be of service to the Green Bay Packers: tight end Zach Ertz.
Commanders' collapse may have made Zach Ertz-Packers trade possible at the right time
MRI results confirmed that Packers star tight end Tucker Kraft suffered a season-ending torn ACL in their Week 9 defeat to the Carolina Panthers. His absence is a brutal blow to Green Bay's Super Bowl LX aspirations. Nevertheless, the show must go on, and Ertz profiles as an ideal prospective alternative to him.
Ertz wasn't specifically mentioned in the news dump on the Commanders' situation. However, it's easy to envision the three-time Pro Bowl among their suddenly expendable assets. He turns 35 this month and is on an expiring contract; unless Washington plans to retain him, recouping any value makes sense.
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Kraft was breaking out before our eyes before going down. The 25-year-old leads his position in yards after the catch and contact while ranking third in receiving yards and yards per catch (minimum 50 routes run). Replicating the sheer playmaking ability he brings to the table will be virtually impossible, especially on such short notice, though Ertz would certainly help.
What Ertz lacks in being a human bowling ball at this stage in his remarkable career is counteracted by being a seam-stretching security blanket. His 72.1 percent catch rate isn't far behind Kraft's 76.2 percent clip this season. Meanwhile, the former's markedly higher average depth of target and air yardage total than the latter (hypothetically) gives the Packers an element they've lacked.
Note: Stats courtesy of Fantasy Points' data suite ($).