Arizona Cardinals could end up listening to trade offers for Kelvin Beachum
By Jim Koch
The Arizona Cardinals made what appeared to be a smart move back in March when they handed Kelvin Beachum a brand-new contract. After all, the veteran had started 48 games for the Redbirds since he was acquired back in 2020.
Five months have passed since Beachum inked his two-year deal, and there's been a big change for the Cards at the offensive tackle position. In late April, general manager Monti Ossenfort received major props for landing Paris Johnson Jr. with the club's sixth-overall selection. The former Ohio State University product was widely considered the 2023 NFL Draft's best offensive lineman.
It didn't take long for Johnson to acclimate himself to the Arizona offense. When the first official depth chart was released last week, the 22-year-old was listed as the squad's starter at right tackle. Where does that leave the 34-year-old Beachum?
One option would be for the Cardinals to keep Beachum around as a "swing" tackle. Besides the experience that the Texas native has on the right side, the 6 foot 3, 308 pounder can also serve as a backup for left tackle D.J. Humphries.
The Arizona Cardinals could elect to move on from Kelvin Beachum in the coming weeks
On the other hand, the Cards could decide to go in an entirely different direction with a valuable asset like Beachum. It's entirely possible that a contending franchise could attempt to orchestrate a trade for the versatile blocker. In fact, Arizona's solid depth at the position could entice Ossenfort to listen to offers for the well-respected Beachum.
Former University of Houston product Josh Jones can play both tackle and guard, and has logged 21 starts for the organization over the past two campaigns. Free-agent addition Dennis Daley started 15 matchups at left tackle for the Tennessee Titans last season, and saw action at both tackle and guard during his three years with the Carolina Panthers.
It's quite obvious that the Cardinals are entering the '23 campaign with an eye on the future. Keeping aging players around when you don't really need to doesn't make a whole lot of sense. That being said, it would not be surprising if Beachum is playing elsewhere this coming fall.
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(Statistics provided by Pro Football Reference)