Currently, the Arizona Cardinals are half a game out of first place in the ultra-competitive NFC West division. The NFC West is the only division in the league where all four teams have a winning record. With that in mind, all four teams will be buyers between now and Tuesday’s trade deadline. Let’s take a look at three potential trades the Cardinals should make.
Trade #1: A 2021 third-round pick to the Minnesota Vikings for Riley Reiff
D.J. Humphries has been solid at left tackle, but the right tackle spot has been awful. Kyler Murray‘s mobility has helped make up for the offensive line problems. However, if he gets hurt, the Cardinals have no chance of making the playoffs. Even if the team decides to start Josh Jones at right tackle, Reiff can play guard as well. He would be an upgrade over Justin Murray at right guard. Upgrading their offensive line and protecting Murray needs to be the Cardinals’ top priority between now and the trade deadline.
The Vikings have a 1-5 record and have already started to trade off veterans. Reiff was almost released in the offseason, as they have second-round rookie Ezra Cleveland waiting to take over at left tackle. Unfortunately, for the Vikings, their second-round pick belongs to the Jacksonville Jaguars thanks to the Yannick Ngakoue deal. If the Vikings can get a third-round pick for Reiff, they should trade him, and the Cardinals should be on the phone with them right now.
Trade #2: A 2021 second-round pick to the Washington Football Team for Ryan Kerrigan and a 2021 fifth-round pick
About a week ago, the Cardinals traded a sixth-round pick to the New York Giants for Markus Golden. However, with Chandler Jones out for the season, the Cardinals need more pass rush help. Other than Haason Reddick, no Cardinal has more than two sacks this season. Furthermore, the Cardinals are averaging under three sacks per game this season. Meanwhile, Kerrigan has four sacks this season, despite playing under 52 percent of the snaps in all but one game this year. With Russell Wilson and Jared Goff in the division, the Cardinals need to generate pressure if they want to win the NFC West title.
As great as Kerrigan has been for the Washington franchise, it’s time to move on. Kerrigan will be a free agent after the season, and he has taken a backseat to Chase Young and Montez Sweat. Furthermore, with Washington looking towards the future, Kerrigan would be better off playing on a playoff-caliber team for the rest of this season. While giving up the franchise’s all-time leader in sacks is tough, Washington has two young stars in the making and needs draft picks to rebuild their offense for next season.
Trade #3: A 2021 seventh-round pick to the New England Patriots for Rex Burkhead
While this trade isn’t the most earth-shattering, the Cardinals would be wise to add the veteran running back. Burkhead can play in multiple roles, both in the passing and running game, but also on special teams. Chase Edmonds is capable of being the starting running back for the Cardinals while Kenyan Drake is out. However, the depth behind Edmonds is thin and inexperienced. At the price of a late seventh-round pick, the Cardinals could protect themselves against an injury to Edmonds while adding a valuable veteran to the team.
Reports are the Patriots are ready to trade away anyone for the right price. While Burkhead has played well this season, the Patriots have young running backs they like in Damien Harris and J.J. Taylor. If the Patriots accept this season as lost, and prepare for next year, expect them to play the younger backs over Burkhead. While he won’t net the Patriots much in a trade, getting a seventh-round pick for Burkhead is better than nothing.
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