With a 4-4 record, the Cardinals sit atop the wide-open NFC West. That puts the team in an interesting position as the Jonathan Gannon/Monti Ossenfort regime approaches its second trade deadline at the helm. It remains to be seen what – if anything – will be done regarding midseason moves in the immediate future. 
“We’ve been involved in a number of talks with teams, and we’ll continue to be here as the days come by,” Ossenfort said during a Friday appearance on Arizona Sports (via Bob McManaman of the Arizona Republic). “We’re working through that process… We’ll deal with the trade deadline on Monday and Tuesday and see if anything works for us.”
Arizona went 4-13 last year, but with quarterback Kyler Murray available for a full campaign in 2024 expectations called for a step forward. The team is well on its way in that regard, and making an addition could boost the chances of a division title (or at least an NFC wild-card berth). The defensive line, both along the interior and on the edge, could be a target given the Cardinals’ injuries at those spots.
Edge rusher BJ Ojulari suffered a torn ACL before the start of the campaign, and Dennis Gardeck recently met the same fate. Meanwhile, first-round rookie Darius Robinson is off injured reserve but it remains to be seen when he will be able to make his regular season debut. Justin Jones and Bilal Nichols are unavailable, so bringing in depth along the interior would be sensible from Arizona’s perspective. While he did not indicate if anything is imminent, Ossenfort confirmed the D-line and edge are areas being looked at leading up to the deadline.
The most commonly predicted move on the Cardinals’ part in recent weeks is one which would see safety Budda Baker traded away. The six-time Pro Bowler is a pending free agent, and the 2023 offseason saw his trade request ultimately result in a short-term solution being worked out. Baker, 28, hopes to land another Cardinals contract this offseason, although Ossenfort and Co. were not in place when he was drafted or initially extended. That has led to questions about a potential trade, but one appears unlikely.
“Budda’s a big part of what we’re doing,” Ossenfort added. “I think there’s a lot of information – a lot of misinformation – that’s out there this time of year, whether it’s pertaining to our players or somebody else’s players… People can throw anything out there, and it may not have any real truth to it at all… We couldn’t be more excited to have Budda with us.”
That endorsement certainly suggests Baker will remain in place past the November 5 deadline. The two-time All-Pro has only made one postseason appearance in his career, which dates back to 2017 and has consisted exclusively of time with Arizona. Provided he stays for the second half of the season, he will maintain a key leadership role amongst an otherwise young secondary in addition to his on-field responsibilities. If the Cardinals choose to make a rental addition, finances will not be an issue since the team has more than $19MM in cap space.
If Arizona is dealing, then the top two options in my mind would be Williams and Conner. Perhaps Michael Wilson, but there are so many WRs available that a young player recently removed from a breakout year might not fetch a decent enough return.
However, given how disappointing the rest of NFC West has been, the Cards are suddenly in a position to contend for the division. None of their rivals look like they’re for sure locks to be better down the stretch than they are now, which is pretty up and down game by game for every team. The Cardinals could suddenly flip to being buyers (I don’t know that it’s where I’d see them long term, but it’s where they are now). I think that it’d be a mistake for them to acquire rentals this year though, because despite their current position, the Cards still look to be building up. Any pieces that they acquire should be long term, which is why they could still be in play to acquire picks by selling.
The Jets should be asking about Williams, despite him coming off injury, and if Dallas really is changing its mind about additions, Arizona should be taking calls for Conner if they decide to sell. The potential tackle competition on the trade block for Williams looks much lower (unless Conklin is available, which I don’t necessarily believe), so he could fetch a decent return, and the Cards have already played most of the year so far without him.
If Arizona decides to be buyers, they probably are jumping into the edge rush market. If so, I’d personally prefer to see them target a more long term piece that could be there for at least a few years. Smith could maybe do that, but he’s closer to the end of his career than the beginning, and he looks more short term than long term. Clowney is available, but he doesn’t project as a long term piece. Ojulari is much less proven than those two, but he is also much younger. If Arizona is buying along the edge, perhaps Ojulari would be a potential target of interest.
They’d be nuts to trade Baker. He’s the heart and soul of that team.
And still pretty young.