The Seattle Seahawks have acquired guard Quenton Nelson from the Indianapolis Colts, Ian Rapoport and Adam Schefter reported Tuesday. In exchange, Indianapolis will receive a 2027 third-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick.
Not much draft compensation for a star of that caliber, but with the Colts struggling and Nelson set to hit free agency, they wanted to get whatever future assets they could before risking letting him walk for nothing.
It's a drastic shakeup not only for the retooling Colts but also for the NFC West, as there are now expected to be ripple effects from other teams. According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, there is "league-wide expectation" that San Francisco is looking to respond on the trade market. "The NFC West is about to heat up in a big way," he added.
Let's see what big splash the Arizona Cardinals make to keep up in that heated NFC West race! Oh wait, they now sit at 2-5 after their Week 7 loss to the Denver Broncos.
Cardinals must zig while rest of NFC West zags
They may not have the worst record in the league -- that honor surprisingly belongs to the Los Angeles Chargers, who Arizona defeated back in Week 1. That said, you could still make the case that Arizona has the worst chances of making the postseason in the entire league due to the fact that they are stuck in a stacked NFC West division.
Seattle is the defending champs and is now bringing in Nelson. San Francisco finally lost a game and could be getting even better with an anticipated trade to match. Even the LA Rams appear to be trending upwards after a slow start to the season.
That's bad timing for Arizona given their upcoming schedule: @ Dallas, @ Seattle, vs. LA Rams, @ Kansas City. They'll almost immediately have to face Nelson and that revamped Seattle O-Line. It's not unreasonable to say this team could become 2-9.
Seeing as the loaded NFC West is somehow only getting harder, it's even more of a reason for the Cardinals to zig while the rest of the teams zag. Have the Seahawks, 49ers, and Rams continue one-upping each other with trades that sacrifice the future for win-now moves. That actually could turn out to work in Arizona's benefit considering the contrasting timelines between three genuine contenders and a bottom feeder.
Still, as a fan, it's safe to say this losing is taking a toll in what already appears to be another lost season in The Valley. Part of that is because it's becoming increasingly difficult to look forward to the draft picks that result from losing. They've already moved on from former top five picks Kyler Murray and Marvin Harrison Jr., with the former leading Minnesota to being the only remaining undefeated team in the league.
That newfound success elsewhere suggests it's a bigger picture concern that goes far beyond just one player. Until the Cardinals are able to improve that infrastructure by improving this organization from top to bottom, it's possible this remains a three-team race in the NFC West for years to come.
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