Arizona Cardinals acquired wrong passer during 2018 draft

The Arizona Cardinals would’ve ascended to an elite level had the team pulled off a trade to acquire Josh Allen back in 2018

Like many NFL organizations, the Arizona Cardinals have a draft history that’s full of “what ifs”. Particular prospects that, if selected, may have brought a Super Bowl title or two to the long-suffering franchise.

Such a scenario presented itself to the Cardinals back in 2018, during the first round of that year’s draft. On the first day of the three-day event, general manager Steve Keim orchestrated a trade that brought quarterback Josh Rosen to the desert. However, it was the alleged deal that Arizona’s front office didn’t pull off that the team may regret for years to come.

There was talk following the draft that the Cards were looking to move up 10 spots (from #15 to #5) in the opening round, and had an agreement in place with the Denver Broncos to do so. Keim’s target with that maneuver would’ve been Josh Allen, the dynamic young quarterback of the Buffalo Bills. Unfortunately, the Cardinals backed out of the trade, apparently because Denver’s asking price was a bit too rich for Arizona’s blood.

After the Cards passed, Allen went to the Bills with the seventh-overall choice. Buffalo made their own deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, moving up five spots to land the incredibly-talented signal-caller. The Cardinals ended up nabbing Rosen with the 10th-overall choice, only to trade him away exactly one year later.

Keim and his cohorts have to be kicking themselves for balking on the deal that would’ve put the sensational Allen in an Cards uniform. The 24-year old has the arm strength, size and running ability that should keep the Bills in Super Bowl contention for at least the next decade. What exactly did the Redbirds miss out on?

In 16 starts this past season, Allen completed 69.2% of his passes for 4,544 yards and a whopping 37 touchdown throws. If that’s not enough, the 6’5, 237 pounder added another 410 yards and eight scores on the ground. Outstanding numbers that earned Allen his first Pro Bowl nomination in 2020.

While it’s hard to argue with the fact that Kyler Murray has an impressive skill-set, Arizona would be much better off with Allen under center. Murray obviously has running ability as well, but a slight desert breeze can knock the 5’10, 207 pounder off of his feet. Allen, on the other hand, can run over would-be tacklers with relative ease.

Allen’s seven-inch height advantage over Murray also makes a huge difference. Being able to see over mammoth offensive and defensive linemen is a must at the professional level. It stands to reason that Allen will have many less batted-down passes over the course of his career than Murray will.

In hindsight, the Cardinals should’ve met Denver’s trade demands back in ’18. Difference-making quarterbacks don’t grow on trees. You can bet that Allen is going to be terrorizing the league’s defensive coordinators for a very long time.