After posting one of the most exciting wins of the 2024 NFL season in Week 2 against the Los Angeles Rams, the Arizona Cardinals fell back to earth in a major way, going 1-3 on the road to a 2-4 record while struggling to score more than 14 points in three of their last four games.
Could the Cardinals reload their roster at the trade deadline, adding a top-tier talent in hopes of racking up a few more wins before the end of the season? Maybe yes, maybe no, but could they ever rack up enough wins to contend for the NFC West, let alone a spot in the Wild Card race?
Unfortunately, this just doesn’t seem to be the plan.
But hey, it’s okay. For what? Well, because in this new league, where there are 14 teams making the playoffs instead of 12, or seven from each conference, there are fewer sellers mid-season, which could give the Cardinals Plenty of opportunities to leverage veteran players in the final year of their contracts to give younger players more snaps now and ensure draft capital in 2025, including a pair of defensive players who could be more valuable for a other team than the Cardinals.
1. Trade Kyzir White to the Dallas Cowboys for a sixth-round pick
While it’s always exciting to make a move and acquire top talent at the trade deadline, the Cardinals are not a team poised to make major waves in the playoffs and contend for a Super Bowl , but rather a team that is once again heading towards a top-10 draft pick. .
While this may be disappointing for longtime fans who want to see success return to the wilderness, it is encouraging for people with a longer-term view of the team-building process, as this should provide plenty of bites to the apple to build. something special around Kyler Murray heading into the future.
As a result, the Cardinals should be willing to let go of older players or players on short-term deals in order to not only secure their future assets, but also give extra snaps to the youngsters.
On paper, who fits this project perfectly? Kyzir White, the lanky inside linebacker who followed Jonathan Gannon to Arizona after a strong run with the Eagles. A 28-year-old college security student playing final year of a $10 million contract over two yearsWhite is an affordable and efficient linebacker who can play off-ball linebacker in a 4-3 or 3-4 scheme. While he didn’t play particularly well in 2024, as has been the case for most Cardinals defenders, he was an effective player in 2023 and looked more like a long-term staple and a short-term commercial addition.
Fortunately, for a team like the Dallas Cowboys, who have struggled at linebacker in 2024 under new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, White’s versatility and price tag should be perfect to help replace their recent losses, notably the retirement of Leighton Vander Esch and Eric Kendricks at a calf. and a shoulder injury. Given White’s experience in the NFC East and his versatility to play multiple linebacker positions in the Cowboys defense, Jerry Jones should be willing to give up a Day 3 pick to bring him to town and allow for more snaps to Krys Barnes moving forward.
2. Trade Dennis Gardeck to the Eagles for a conditional fifth-round pick
In the same vein as trading White, the Cardinals should also consider moving on from one of the hearts and souls of the Gannon era, especially since he too is in the midst of a down year minus one game .
A dynamic personality on and off the field with one of the best nicknames in the business, “The Barbarian,” Gardeck looks like one of the best passers in the NFC. But considering his three sacks and forced fumble that came in a game against a Los Angeles Rams team that had a makeshift offensive line that was down by several scores late in the first quarter- time, his stat line doesn’t say it. complete story.
Other than this game, Gardeck hasn’t really done much as a rusher, recording 15 tackles, five tackles for loss and one pick over 159 defensive snaps.
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When targeted as a coverage player, which has only happened three times, Gardeck has allowed two catches for 16 yards, which is good for an 8.0 yards per completion average which is actually higher than his 2023 marks, when he allowed ten completions on 13 targets for 72 yards and two touchdowns.
At 6-foot, 232 pounds, Gardeck really isn’t schematically versatile, as he probably can’t play defensive end for a standard 4-3 team, but for a team like the Eagles? Who really needs more pressure from their front seven under new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio? The idea of adding “The Barbarian” makes sense, as he could fill a similar role to Andrew Van Ginkel in Miami last year and produce as a more traditional outside linebacker. If the Cardinals can get a mid-round pick for Gardeck, call him a fifth that becomes a four if the Eagles advance to the NFC Championship Game, it might be worth saying goodbye to the fan favorite .
Bonus: Trading for Haason Reddick should be on the table
While the Cardinals shouldn’t trade for any winning players in 2024, if the right player comes along, they shouldn’t turn him away either, especially if the player in question is someone like Haason Reddick, who had his best professional season. under Gannon in Philadelphia.
Now, Reddick has reportedly hired Drew Rosehaus to help end his holdout with the Jets, but what happens if the deal doesn’t go through? What if Reddick still doesn’t want to play for the Jets and they’re willing to move him for a meager return to be done with the situation? In that case, maybe the Cardinals should acquire a Chandler Jones, albeit at a much lower price, in order to bring him to town. Reddick could prove he can still play under Gannon, work well with his teammates and ultimately sign a new long-term deal with Arizona, in a way that New York wasn’t interested in.
