Trade for center shows that the Arizona Cardinals are all in
By Jim Koch
The intentions of the Arizona Cardinals front office have become incredibly obvious. It’s become perfectly clear that general manager Steve Keim and company have their eyes squarely on a Vince Lombardi Trophy in 2021. For the non-believers out there, there’s blatant proof that the Cards are thinking Super Bowl or bust for the upcoming NFL season.
It all started back on March 1st, when Arizona snuck up on the league and signed superstar defender J.J. Watt to a two-year, $28 million contract. That was a move that only a team with high aspirations would make. On Wednesday, the Cardinals made another stunning acquisition that proves how serious they are about contending this coming fall.
Big Red made a tremendous addition to their offensive line by trading for Rodney Hudson, a three-time Pro Bowl center. The Cards sent a third-round pick in next month’s draft to the Las Vegas Raiders for Hudson and a seventh-round selection. Somewhere, Arizona offensive line coach Sean Kugler has a smile on his face that even a trip to the dentist office for a root canal could not remove.
One of the main areas of the Cardinals roster that needed to be upgraded this offseason was the center position. Mason Cole, last year’s starter at the spot for the Redbirds, was the 27th-best center in 2020 according to Pro Football Focus. By comparison, Hudson was ranked 8th-overall by the well-respected website.
The Cards now possess a blocking unit that’s chock-full of experience. Besides landing Hudson, the club also brought veteran Kelvin Beachum back into the mix this week. Beachum, who started 16 games at right tackle for the squad last season, signed a two-year deal worth $4 million on Tuesday. Filling out the line are left tackle D.J. Humphries, left guard Justin Pugh and a right guard (possibly Justin Murray or Josh Jones) who’ll be named later.
Arizona’s management team realizes that they have a golden opportunity standing in front of them at the present time. The fact that quarterback Kyler Murray is still working under a rookie contract gives Keim and his cohorts the flexibility to place loads of talent around their dynamic signal-caller. If things work out, stellar additions like Hudson and Watt will help the Cardinals bring home the first Super Bowl championship in franchise history.