The Arizona Cardinals front office acquired Trayvon Mullen to bolster a cornerbacks room that appears to be severely undermanned.
For weeks, there’s been speculation that the Arizona Cardinals front office would acquire some help for the squad’s undermanned cornerbacks group. On Tuesday, general manager Steve Keim did just that.
On the day when NFL clubs scrambled to get down to the 53-man limit, the Cardinals orchestrated a trade for Trayvon Mullen, a fourth-year cover guy from the Las Vegas Raiders. Keim gave up a seventh-round draft selection in 2023 for the rights to the 24-year old defensive back. The compensation could actually turn into a sixth-round choice if Mullen logs a specific amount of playing time with Arizona this coming fall.
While Byron Murphy Jr. has one of the starting spots all sewn up, the other cornerback position with the first-string defense was up for grabs this summer. Second-year pro Marco Wilson, the Cards’ starter from last season, has significantly regressed this offseason.
Veteran Antonio Hamilton stepped up during the Cardinals training camp, and it appeared that the 29-year old had wrested the job from Wilson. Unfortunately, the journeyman Hamilton has been sidelined for over a week with a burn injury suffered at his home.
Trayvon Mullen could be exactly what the Arizona Cardinals defense needs
Mullen entered the league back in 2019 as a second-round selection of the Raiders. The 6 foot 2, 200 pounder played his college ball at Clemson University, where he was a teammate of Arizona linebacker Isaiah Simmons.
The former Clemson Tiger enjoyed a solid rookie campaign, racking up 50 tackles, an interception and an impressive 10 passes defensed in 16 appearances (10 starts) for the “Silver and Black”. A year later, Mullen registered 64 tackles, two picks and a whopping 14 pass breakups in 16 starts for Las Vegas.
Due to injuries to his foot and toe, Mullen was able to dress for just five games for the Raiders in 2021. The Florida native contributed 20 tackles, an interception and four passes defensed in his limited action with the squad.
The cornerback position is one of the biggest weaknesses surrounding the team in 2022. Only time will tell if the acquisition of Mullen can turn a Cardinals problem area into a strength.
(Statistics provided by Pro-Football-Reference)