Arizona Cardinals front office made three horrendous trades in 2022
By Jim Koch
The Arizona Cardinals front office squandered four draft selections on players who have contributed very little to the team.
During his 10 years as the general manager of the Arizona Cardinals, Steve Keim pulled off several outstanding trades . Carson Palmer, Chandler Jones, DeAndre Hopkins and Zach Ertz were well worth the compensation it took to add them to the Cards roster.
On the other end of that spectrum are the trade acquisitions that have failed to benefit Arizona in the least. Draft picks were squandered for players that failed to produce. Keim came out on top on a number of occasions, but not every one of his swaps can be deemed a success.
That being said, three of Keim’s trades in 2022 can be looked at as failures. The Cardinals were hoping for contributions out of a trio of veterans who were acquired, but the rewards from each deal have been pretty much nonexistent.
Arizona Cardinals were burned by three lousy trade acquisitions in 2022
Back in August, the Cards managed to land some much-needed depth for the offensive line. Cody Ford, a former second-round draft choice of the Buffalo Bills, came to the desert for a fifth-round selection. The 26-year-old Ford saw action in 10 games (three starts) at guard for the Cardinals this past fall, but wasn’t particularly impressive in any of his appearances.
Roughly one week after Ford was obtained, Keim was responsible for yet another dud. Trayvon Mullen was expected to play a significant role in the Arizona secondary, but the cornerback was hampered by injuries to both his toe and hamstring. The 25-year-old cost the Cards a seventh-round pick, and was ultimately released on December 13th.
Keim got bamboozled once again last October when he surrendered a sixth and a seventh-round selection for wide receiver Robbie Anderson. The disgruntled pass-catcher had worn out his welcome with the Carolina Panthers, and was supposed to help the Redbirds cope with the temporary loss of Marquise “Hollywood” Brown. Arizona’s salary-cap figure in 2023 will increase by a cool $12 million when management eventually cuts ties with the disappointing Anderson.
Related Story. Breaking down Cardinals draft picks in 2023. light
“Big Red” is coming off one of the worst campaigns in franchise history, and additions such as Ford, Mullen and Anderson certainly didn’t help. Fans of the club can find solace in the fact that a new individual will soon be making those all-important personnel decisions for the Cardinals organization.
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