Arizona Cardinals should explore options for Marquise Brown, Budda Baker, at deadline

The NFL trade deadline is tomorrow, and that means the Arizona Cardinals could end up trading away a veteran or two in exchange for a draft pick, or draft picks. Last week, I wrote up a few dream scenarios for the Cardinals if they traded away veteran players like Marquise Brown and Budda Baker. 

Whether these scenarios come about remains to be seen until tomorrow afternoon, and even if such deals can’t be reached, general manager Monti Ossenfort should still be working the phones and taking inquiries. And if he comes across a deal to his liking, then the first-year general manager should not hesitate to send someone like Baker or Brown elsewhere. 

While moving Brown also means trading away a viable target for quarterback Kyler Murray and trading away Baker also means letting a leader go, it’s still important to understand that respective regimes want to, and should, bring in their own players. The Cards have never won with Brown on the roster, nor had they done much since Baker joined the team, despite the latter’s elite numbers.

Arizona Cardinals front office would do well to explore trade options for Brown, Baker

Marquise Brown and Budda Baker are great players, and at least Baker is a fan favorite. But it’s important to remember that the league is a business, and each new regime needs to bring in players that are the best fits for the current system. Therefore, if Brown isn’t a good fit for the Cardinals offense in the long-term, then why keep him?

Budda Baker will be 28 and heading into his eighth season, so if the Arizona Cardinals want to get younger on defense, then it’s only logical to listen to offers. Fortunately, many Cardinals fans agree that some veterans should go elsewhere - 75 percent of those polled, per Seth Cox of Revenge of the Birds. 

It’s all about bringing in the correct players that can help this team win in head coach Jonathan Gannon’s and offensive coordinator Drew Petzing’s respective systems. So if that means seeing Brown and Baker go elsewhere so the Cards can acquire picks that may help them find the right players, then so be it.