The Arizona Cardinals have now traded Marvin Harrison Jr. and Jacoby Brissett this season, hitting reset on key offensive players and positions. But that doesn't necessarily mean they are taking a firm stance as sellers as we approach the Nov. 10 trade deadline.
Harrison seemed disgruntled in Arizona for a number of reasons, while Brissett recently requested a trade after Mike LaFleur's decision to bench him in place of Gardner Minshew II for Week 9's road matchup against the Seattle Seahawks.
With the Cardinals sitting at 3-5, you could make a case that there's a lot riding on this game. John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM Phoenix suggested that to be the case, with the outcome of that game potentially deciding whether to stand pat or take a seller's stance at the deadline.
"My belief is this win delays any possible trades until after next week's game at Seattle. Pull off a shocker there, and Arizona is 4-5 and in the thick of things in the NFC. Lose and fall to 3-6 and for all intents and purposes any slim hopes of competing for a playoff spot are over. So next week at Seattle could decide if this team stands pat at the deadline or ends up selling off players to stockpile draft assets," Gambadoro said on X.
Cardinals should take a firm seller's stance at the trade deadline
Should they pull off yet another upset, suddenly 4-5 doesn't sound so bad, especially when you account for how much easier the Cardinals' schedule gets to finish off the season. You could even make a case for them to try to make a push by filling these glaring roster holes after all the injuries, especially on offense with their depleted offensive line, running back, and wide receiver room.
This team is starting Simi Fehoko at WR2, with Evan Hull as the potential backup running back to Tyler Allgeier, depending on the status of Bam Knight, who remains under concussion protocol. The hope is that Minshew gives this offense new life, and if he continues to produce, maybe the Cardinals feel compelled to give him real weapons to save the season.
Realistically, the Cardinals season is a lost cause regardless of what happens in Seattle. I'd be surprised if they managed to win on the road in Seattle, even with Sam Darnold sidelined. Backup quarterback Drew Lock played in an earlier Week 2 matchup against the Cardinals, throwing for three touchdowns in a 31-7 blowout.
Arizona should do a better job of keeping this one within reach, but at the end of the day there are too many injuries and roster holes on both sides of the ball for this team to overcome. Unlike the NFC North where there's depth across the division, the Cardinals are the clear weak link in the NFC West. They would be foolish not to take a seller's stance, or at the very least explore the trade market for veterans such as edge rusher Josh Sweat.
This upcoming game against Seattle doesn't change much in the scheme of things, as this Cardinals roster is nowhere near contending, or even competing for a playoff spot. To let this upcoming matchup dictate the stance at the deadline would be myopic and ignore the reality of where the Cardinals stand in the division.
Four upsets under LaFleur would be impressive and a promising sign of a new era, but there's still plenty of work to do to raise the ceiling of this rebuild. It was a step in the right direction by GM Monti Ossenfort to fix his mistakes, turning Harrison and Brissett into future draft capital. But now they must continue heading in that direction by taking a firm seller's stance, regardless of their Week 9 outcome at Lumen Field.
Add us as a preferred source on Google