Bleacher Report Predicts Arizona Cardinals Make Bold Trade

I suppose it's never too early to start speculating trade scenarios in a sports world where we are constantly dreaming up crazy outcomes for our favorite teams.

That's precisely what Bleacher Report's Brad Gagnon is putting into the ether after making five bold predictions for this season's NFL trade deadline... which isn't until November, by the way.

But again, it won't stop many from dreaming, and Gagnon has the Arizona Cardinals in mind.

Arizona Cardinals Projected to Make Bold Trade

Among the players he named, a handful are guys that we have already seen floated around in rumors including Kayvon Thibodeaux, Trey Hendrickson, and Kirk Cousins.

Gagnon also pitched some less discussed players, even some guys that are pretty out there to be honest like Baker Mayfield. He linked them to teams in need of upgrades at those positions including the Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Jets, Detroit Lions, and Green Bay Packers.

The last player mentioned is perhaps the biggest name being floated around in trade conversations right now: Miami Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey. And, you guessed it, Gagnon is linking a move from South Beach to the Valley for the All-Pro coverman.

In his reasoning, Gagnon had this to say:

"It's still possible the Dolphins stick with the 30-year-old seven-time Pro Bowler, but a trade has seemingly been in the works for a while. Plus, they appear to be losing ground to Buffalo and other key AFC rivals, and they could be out of it at this point.

"Of course, there's also a chance Ramsey is dealt long before we hit the deadline. In which case, we are still looking at Arizona as a prime potential landing spot."

Gagnon also noted, "the NFC West could be wide open this year, and the up-and-coming Cardinals could be in the thick of it if Kyler Murray and Marvin Harrison Jr. can make a leap together." Should that happen, he adds the "cap-rich Cards" could be buyers at the deadline.

"... it would make a lot of sense for them to pursue Ramsey to bolster a secondary that has already lost Sean Murphy-Bunting for the season."

This isn't a scenario unfamiliar to Cardinals fans. In fact, I previously brought it up as a potential move for the team to make at some point.

Arizona made a terrific addition to the secondary when it drafted Michigan cornerback Will Johnson in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft after an unprecedented fall to the second day. Johnson has all the making to become the alpha outside the defense needs.

To go along with Max Melton, Starling Thomas V, and Garrett Williams, Johnson gives the Cardinals an outstanding cornerback corps with seriously wicked upside.

Why Jalen Ramsey Makes Sense for Arizona Cardinals

However, the group is missing veteran leadership after the aforementioned Murphy-Bunting was confirmed to be out for the season due to injury. It leaves free agent signee Jaylon Jones as the longest tenured cornerback in the room with three seasons of playing time.

Darren Hall is also on the team entering his fifth season, but he spent last season back and forth with the Cardinals and the Indianapolis Colts.

This leaves a very reasonable opening for Arizona to consider adding Ramsey. The multi-time All-Pro cornerback is entering his tenth season in the pros and has shown only slight signs of regression. But don't be fooled, he remains elite.

If the Cardinals were to have an interest in continuing to buff their cornerback room, then Ramsey could be one of the top options for them to consider.

Ramsey is already available via trade and could be had as soon as tonight should the team want him ASAP.

However, the Cardinals could play the long game to see if they will even need to make the addition. After all, two of the guys we mentioned, Johnson and Williams, have legitimate Pro Bowl potential. That may be more than enough to sell the team on hanging on to their assets and staying young and cheap at the position.

Speaking of cheap, Ramsey is currently on a fat contract worth more than $72 million. Of course, the Cardinals are anything but financially handicapped, so this shouldn't be a cause for concern.

To me, this decision will come down to where the Cardinals are at as playoff contenders and if they have a serious shot for the division crown.

Adding a player like Ramsey could be what puts the team over the top. Coincidentally enough, when the rival Los Angeles Rams made a trade for him a few years back, he helped the franchise win a Super Bowl a year later.

Is Ramsey the player he was in 2021? No, but he's still damn good.

For a price that is highly unlikely to be anything substantial, Ramsey could be had for a low-cost and potentially be one of the missing pieces to getting the Cardinals back into the postseason.

I'm not sure how much stock I put into it, but I've previously given my support for the potential move and I will stay firm in that opinion until further notice.

As they say, it never hurts to ask.

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