The Arizona Cardinals are in the early stages of a rebuild after undergoing major changes this offseason. A new regime is in place with general manager Steve Keim stepping down from his position and head coach Kliff Kingsbury being fired despite recently receiving extensions.
Taking over their roles are Monti Ossenfort in the front office and Jonathan Gannon as head coach. Those two have their work cut out for them as the Cardinals could currently have the weakest roster in the NFL.
This is a multi-year process that began this offseason as that duo begins reshaping the team in their image. One of the areas that they should be looking to improve in is the pass rush. Gannon coming over after being the defensive coordinator of the Philadelphia Eagles should help, but adding some more talent to that side of the ball certainly wouldn’t be a bad idea either.
Arizona could use some more building blocks on their roster, so keep an eye out on them as a team that could look to make some deals. Trading away draft capital isn’t normally something a rebuilding team would do, but for the right player, it would be worth thinking about.
One of those right players could be Chase Young of the Washington Commanders. The Commanders surprised some people when they opted to decline the fifth-year option on Young’s rookie contract, putting his future with the franchise in doubt.
What could a trade between the Cardinals and Commanders look like? Arizona could offer tight end Zach Ertz and a 2024 second-round pick to Washington in exchange for the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
With just about a $600K difference in salary, this swap will work monetarily. Washington may hold out for more in a trade, but adding a player that can help at a position of need on offense while adding a premium draft pick would be tough to turn down.
For Arizona, they would be getting an up-close look at Young before he hits free agency. He won the Defensive Rookie of the Year award but has not gotten close to replicating that production. A devastating knee injury has derailed the last two seasons, leading to only 12 games played.
He has not looked the same in those games, as health was as big of a reason as any that the Commanders declined his option. With the Cardinals, Young would be playing pressure-free football and have a chance to rehab his value.
When at the top of his game, he has shown the capabilities of being a premier pass rusher and excellent run defender. After trading the No. 3 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and passing on the chance to select a stud pass rusher, this could be the Cardinals’ chance to address that need.
