One of the more vulnerable teams in the NFL is the Arizona Cardinals. Could the Denver Broncos try to strike a potential trade with this rebuilding team? A new era is present in Arizona and the Cardinals have kicked off what could be a pretty long rebuild.
They've got the worst roster in the NFL by a mile and aren't going to be competitive for the next two years, at least. It'd be in the Cardinals' best interest to acquire as many draft picks as possible to enhance their chances of acing this rebuild.
The Denver Broncos have retooled their roster this offseason and installed a new head coach. It's clear that the team is gearing up to try and win a ton of games in the 2023 NFL season. Even though the Broncos' roster is solid, they could still benefit by making a trade or two.
Could the Broncos use the Cardinals as partners? What are some trade possibilities with this team?
Denver Broncos three trade ideas with the Arizona Cardinals for 2023
1. Denver Broncos trade for RB James Conner
Sitting at the top of the Cardinals' RB depth chart is James Conner, a 28-year-old back who has also played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and was drafted by them in the 2017 NFL Draft. Conner has turned into an effective running back in the NFL.
He's rushed for 3,836 yards over his six-year career and has scored 52 total touchdowns. The Cardinals are also paying Conner about $7 million per season, and his cap hit is over $9 million this year. The running back position simply does not have a ton of value in the NFL anymore, especially for a rebuilding team like Arizona.
The Broncos could benefit by adding Conner to their backfield. He is a true RB2 and has receiving ability as well, catching 207 total passes, with catching as many as 55 in 2018. He'd be a solid boost to the RB room that may or may not get Javonte Williams back for week one.
Conner is better than Samaje Perine, and the trio of Williams, Conner, and Perine would be the best in the NFL and would reinforce the idea of Denver being a run-first team in 2023.
Denver Broncos three trade ideas with the Arizona Cardinals for 2023
2. Denver Broncos trade for TE Zach Ertz
Another aging veteran who clearly is not part of the long-term plan in Arizona is Zach Ertz, one of the better tight ends in the NFL this generation. Ertz was traded to the Cardinals by the Philadelphia Eagles and has put up 980 receiving yards in 21 total games for the Cards.
Ertz has been pretty consistent over his career. He eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark back in 2018, catching 116 passes during that campaign. Over his 10-year career, Ertz's 17-game average comes out to 81 receptions for 856 yards and five touchdowns. That kind of production from the tight end spot is quite impressive.
He's under contract for two more seasons and does have a cap hit in 2023 of over $11 million. If a trade were to be facilitated, a restructured deal would have to happen. The trade itself is very doable for Arizona, who'd save over $9 million by making this move.
This would again be a logical move for a rebuilding team and would give the Denver Broncos another viable option on offense. Ertz may not be his 2018 self, but the 32-year-old can definitely still play. I bet the Broncos could do some type of pick swap with the Cardinals to make this trade happen.
Acquiring Zach Ertz should not cost much at all for Denver, so this would be a very logical low-risk, high-reward type of move that a team wanting to win now would make.
Denver Broncos three trade ideas with the Arizona Cardinals for 2023
3. Arizona Cardinals trade for WR KJ Hamler
The Denver Broncos wide receiver room is all of a sudden very deep. Additions of Marvin Mims Jr and Marquez Callaway, coupled with the return of Tim Patrick from a torn ACL have made this room one of the best and deepest in the entire NFL.
It's truly a great room with loads of potential. Right now, though, I think there's a better chance that Hamler does not have a spot on the Broncos' roster than does. He's battled through numerous injuries in his three-year career and has missed more games than he's played in.
He's not a viable player for this organization at this moment in time, and I think the best course forward would be to see if a team would give up anything for Hamler. I get some people in the fanbase gravitate toward him because of his bubbly personality and perseverance, but let's be honest here, KJ Hamler has been a colossal failure since being drafted in the second round back in 2020.
The team also drafted Mims in 2023, who profiles very similarly to Hamler, so many have said that Mims is a de-facto replacement for Hamler. The Cardinals might be willing to give up a sixth or seventh-round pick for Hamler, who would bring some youth to their WR room that recently saw the departure of DeAndre Hopkins.
Even though Hamler wouldn't fetch much in a trade, acquiring whatever you could get for him would replenish the Broncos' draft capital by that much.