Arizona Cardinals: 3 major moves that will occur in April 2023

The Arizona Cardinals are looking to continue their roster overhaul in April 2023. Therefore, you can expect the following to occur.

The Arizona Cardinals offseason went exactly as planned so far, even to the dismay of some in the Red Sea. But the lack of major moves gives general manager Monti Ossenfort plenty of cap space to draft hordes of new talent, and eventually extend current talent if he believes they have a place in the desert. 

It might not seem as such, but these are wise moves from the first-year general manager, who resisted the temptation to spend needless amounts of money in free agency. It’s called building through the draft, and supplementing with free agency, and it’s something everyone in the Red Sea must get used to. 

But Ossenfort isn’t finished just yet. Expect him to continue overhauling the roster with the following actions. 

Arizona Cardinals will pull off these major roster overhauls for April 2023

1 - Trade DeAndre Hopkins

Like it or not, the trade will occur. We just don’t know if it will happen earlier in the month or on draft day. Hopkins, though older, is far from washed up, as he proved when healthy this past season, so you can’t blame Ossenfort for keeping the star receiver in the desert until either he or Hopkins himself, gets a viable offer. 

Someone will end up trading for Hopkins, and at the absolute least, Ossenfort will get something close to what he wants for the soon-to-be 11-year veteran. They will likely be draft picks, and one of those picks should be in the Top 100. 

2 - Trade back in the 2023 NFL Draft

I’ve said it often, but Anthony Richardson is yet another overrated quarterback prospect. You get one almost every year, when someone mired with mediocre production possesses every single trait you look for in an NFL quarterback. 

In 2021, it was Mac Jones and Trey Lance. In 2020, it was Justin Herbert. In 2019, it was Daniel Jones. And in 2018, and the most successful example to date from a win-loss standpoint, it was Josh Allen. 

Not a bad group, but as you can see, the recent examples above are hit or miss. But someone will want to think Richardson (and possibly Will Levis) will be a major hit. That said, they will give up more compensation than usual for the rights to select Richardson. 

3 - Target one major unsigned free agent post-draft

There are actually quite a few viable free agents remaining, and that infamous second wave often occurs following the draft. Ossenfort, at this point, will have a better idea of how much he can spend, and he will likely fill one final hole with a viable name. 

Of course, we aren’t sure what that position will be, but expect one more old face gracing an Arizona Cardinals uniform this season. No, it won’t be a superstar, but you can expect a familiar name nonetheless. 

Overall, the Cards are nowhere near finished overhauling the roster. Sure, free agency was bland, but Ossenfort made necessary moves. Now, he will get bolder as the draft approaches.