The Arizona Cardinals are a team to watch as Tuesday's trade deadline approaches (4 p.m. ET). GM Monti Ossenfort should look to take a seller's stance, embracing the rebuild by exploring trades for veterans like Josh Sweat and Budda Baker to turn into future draft capital. However, it's also become clear that Arizona needs more pass-catching help after seeing how depleted their wide receiver room has become.
Rookie Carson Beck could start at quarterback if Gardner Minshew II is confirmed to be out for the season with a torn UCL. The silver lining is that Arizona could now have an eight-game stretch to evaluate Beck before deciding whether to draft another quarterback in next year's draft. But that evaluation process will be much more difficult after seeing the pass-catching options Beck has at his disposal.
Marvin Harrison Jr. is now with the Houston Texans. And with Michael Wilson, Jalen Brooks, and Kendrick Bourne all out with season-ending injuries, the depth of this group has quickly turned from a strength to a weakness. With all due respect, Simi Fehoko and Reggie Virgil aren't going to cut it to give Beck a fair shot and Arizona a precise evaluation.
Jaguars’ Brian Thomas Jr. stance forces Cardinals to pivot
One intriguing trade target who is now seemingly off the board is Jacksonville Jaguars' Brian Thomas Jr. Tuesday, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported that the Jaguars are telling teams they aren't planning on trading Thomas, who remains a contributor in their offense.
If Ossenfort were to dip into those future assets he's been stockpiling, it would've made sense to pursue Thomas as a replacement for Harrison. As a former first-round pick who's just 24 years old, Thomas would've given Beck another weapon to finish the season and, more importantly, would fit long-term into their young core.
It's difficult to get past the 1,282-yard, 10-touchdown season he had as a rookie and think about whether that could be unlocked elsewhere. It's similar to what many thought with Harrison, though he's never had as proven a track record when it comes to actually producing like his star upside. Worse, he's been more or less the same player ever since arriving in Houston.
Cardinals should add a receiver for Carson Beck’s audition
Still, that doesn't change the fact that the Cardinals have a massive hole at receiver -- the void left by the player they thought they were getting when they drafted Harrison Jr. No. 4 overall. Of the top trade candidates at receiver, Thomas seemed like the only one with the upside to truly fill the star-power gap.
Now they should consider turning their sights to Indianapolis Colts' Josh Downs or Los Angeles Chargers' Mike Williams, depending on which archetype head coach Mike LaFleur would prefer and their respective asking prices.
It remains to be seen if Ossenfort will be active at the deadline after the Cardinals have already traded Jacoby Brissett and Harrison. Hopefully they find a move to turn some of these defensive pieces into future assets. But just because acquiring future draft capital should be the primary goal this deadline doesn't mean Ossenfort should be afraid to use any of it if the right deal comes along.
Thomas fits the criteria given their glaring need at receiver all of a sudden, but it sounds like the Cardinals will now have to pivot. If they don't, it could be a long remainder of the season for Beck. Arizona could simply select a quarterback regardless, but that still doesn't solve the issue of putting that quarterback in an ideal position to succeed. That's why, despite the seller's stance, Ossenfort should be searching for another receiver to add to this young core.
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