Acquiring Julio Jones would be great, but what are some other trades the Arizona Cardinals could make that would fill an actual need?
Thanks to some recent fun had by DeAndre Hopkins, some Arizona Cardinals fans now think their favorite team currently has a chance to land Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones in a trade.
While Jones is a tremendous talent, and the duo of him and Hopkins would be lethal, the likelihood of the Falcons receiver actually ending up with the Cardinals seems very low.
First off, Arizona doesn’t even have enough cap space to afford how much Jones currently costs. Obviously, the Cardinals can shift some things around to create cap space. But would giving up a bunch of valuable assets to acquire someone who missed seven games last season really be worth it?
While Arizona doesn’t have enough spending money to afford Jones right now, they do have still enough to trade for some other very talented players if they’re interested in doing so.
So instead of trying to make a deal with the Falcons for Jones, who are some of the other players from around the NFL that the Cardinals should consider trading for?
Robby Anderson – WR (Carolina Panthers)
After only one season with the Panthers, some might be wondering if Robby Anderson would even be available for the Cardinals to try and trade for. Well, a recent report indicates that Carolina might be willing to send Anderson packing if they were offered a good enough deal.
According to Walter Football’s Charlie Campbell, the Panthers were reportedly looking to trade Anderson during this year’s NFL Draft.
In 2020, Anderson had arguably the best performance of his career. He set new single-season career-highs for catches (95) and receiving yards (1,096) while also hauling in three touchdown passes.
He’s 28-years-old, he would only cost Arizona $8 million in 2021 before becoming a free agent in 2022, and he has 4.3 speed. His mere presence on the field as a deep threat could open things up for DeAndre Hopkins even more next season.
The Cardinals already have some lightning-fast wide receivers in Andy Isabella and rookie Rondale Moore. Arizona clearly likes the speed these guys can add to their offense.
With Anderson though, he’s got the speed and the experience from being in the NFL since 2016. If A.J. Green struggles to get back to producing at a satisfying rate, Anderson would be a good option for the Cardinals to have in their back pocket to be a solid No. 2 receiver next season.
David Njoku – TE (Cleveland Browns)
When it comes to tight ends, this certainly isn’t one of the strongest position groups on the Cardinals’ current roster.
Dan Arnold led all Arizona tight ends last season with 31 catches, 438 receiving yards, and four touchdowns, but he ended up signing with the Panthers this year. So the Cardinals are currently left with a group of tight ends that includes guys like Maxx Williams, Darrell Daniels, and Ian Bunting who have never made any sort of significant impact on the field during their NFL careers.
If Arizona is interested in adding a tight end who could also blossom into another weapon for their offense, David Njoku of the Browns is someone to consider.
Njoku was selected by Cleveland in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft, but his usage in the team’s offense has taken a dip during the last two seasons. In 2019, his decrease in production was due to a serious wrist injury. But last year was a bit puzzling since he appeared in 13 games.
Njoku wanted the Browns to trade him last year, but the team never did. Recently, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that the tight end is “in a good place,” with Cleveland.
Let’s not just assume that the Browns wouldn’t still pull the trigger on a trade involving Njoku though if the offer was good enough. Could the Cardinals be the team to get Cleveland to trade their 24-year-old right end?
Marshon Lattimore – CB (New Orleans Saints)
With Patrick Peterson now off attempting to revive his career with the Minnesota Vikings, the Cardinals’ current cornerback depth chart has Malcolm Butler, Robert Alford, and Byron Murphy at the top.
It’s definitely not a group that’s going to strike fear into an opposing offense when they take the field next season. So if Arizona is looking to add a little more talent to their current cornerback room, Marshon Lattimore of the Saints could be a possibility.
Lattimore has been New Orleans’ top corner since he was a rookie in 2017. During his career, he’s displayed the ability to shut down some of the top receivers in the league. But then there have also been plenty of times where he still looks lost out on the field.
However, the argument can be made that he’s still more talented than any of the Cardinals’ current corners.
Lattimore is currently in the final year of his contract and with the Saints having very little cap space, they probably aren’t going to be able to afford to re-sign him in 2022. So to avoid letting him walk out the door without getting anything in return, it wouldn’t come as a surprise if New Orleans was willing to listen to trade offers for their top corner.