Arizona Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort has done an incredible job of building a balanced roster over the last three offseasons. The Cardinals are without a glaring weakness. For the first time in years, this team is set up to truly compete in the NFC.
But, there's always more that can be done. Arizona has a surplus of talent at certain positions, and they can use that advantage to continue to fill out their roster. There's one move that the Cardinals should seriously look into before the season starts.
Arizona Cardinals could consider trading Zaven Collins
In a recent article, Bleacher Report analyst Gary Davenport listed one player that each NFL team could trade before the start of the upcoming season. He chose outside linebacker Zaven Collins for the Arizona Cardinals.
Zaven Collins is a telling remnant of the Arizona Cardinals' past. For years, previous general manager Steve Keim was known for selecting "tweener" linebackers who could also be used on the edge or at safety.
Collins, a former first-round draft pick, has played both off-ball linebacker and edge rusher during his four seasons in Arizona. In that time, he's totaled 12 sacks and over 150 total tackles. Collins even led the team in sacks last season (though it was a low bar to clear). He's been a capable starter, but it seems like the Cardinals may be ready to move on from him.
As Davenport says in his article,"with Josh Sweat now in the desert, Baron Browning back after joining the Cardinals in-season last year and BJ Ojulari returning from injury, Collins could find himself toward the back end of the pass-rushing rotation in Arizona."
The Cardinals clearly were not happy with their defensive front heading into the offseason. It was one of the worst units in the NFL in 2024, despite the quality coaching of Jonathan Gannon and Nick Rallis. They've made numerous additions to the group, making Zaven Collins somewhat expendable.
Maybe Zaven Collins wouldn't command more than a mid-round pick on the trade market, but it's at least worth looking into. After all, he is a former first-round draft pick who has been a decent NFL starter for four years. Gary Davenport speculates that "There could be a team out there that believes it can do a better job of unlocking Collins’ talent than the Cardinals have."
If shipping off Zaven Collins can net the Arizona Cardinals some future draft capital to work with, they should seriously consider making the move.