The trade market may be quiet on paper, but once training camps open, the phone lines usually start buzzing. Roster cuts get real, injuries hit, and teams begin figuring out who actually fits when the pads come on. That’s when a few NFC names could move from speculation to serious conversations.
In the NFC, a handful of veterans stand out as the most obvious candidates if a team decides to make a deal before the season gets rolling.
Arizona’s Budda Baker is one of the clearest possibilities. The Cardinals may not be eager to move him, but the financial angle is hard to ignore: a trade before the season could clear more than $15 million in cap space.
For a team entering a rebuilding year, that kind of savings plus a decent draft pick would at least be worth considering. Arizona already has Dadrian Taylor-Demerson at one safety spot and added Andrew Wingard in free agency, so there are replacement options in place.
Baker has been a tackling machine over the last two seasons, piling up 284 total tackles, and he has made seven straight Pro Bowls. Still, he has just one interception over the past three seasons and is 30 years old, so if the right offer lands, the Cardinals could be tempted.
Kayvon Thibodeaux is another name that keeps coming up in New York. The Giants have loaded up on pass rushers, using their top pick last year on Abdul Carter and their top pick this year on Arvell Reese, while Brian Burns already gives them an established edge presence.
That doesn’t make Thibodeaux useless, but it does make his fit a little murkier, especially with a contract year ahead and the Giants clearly investing heavily at the position. He’s only 25, which only adds to the intrigue for teams looking for help off the edge.
Washington’s Daron Payne sits in a different spot. The Commanders probably aren’t eager to move one of their best defensive linemen after giving up more yards than any other NFL team last season.
But the contract situation matters. Payne is entering the final year of his deal, and Washington could free up more than $17 million by dealing him.
If the team doesn’t want to commit long term, there’s a logic to getting value now instead of waiting. Dean Jones of Riggo's Rag believes Payne only gets moved if general manager Adam Peters receives an offer he can’t turn down, and that seems to be the right read.
Even so, if the Commanders stumble and teams start calling, his name is one to watch.
Then there’s Alvin Kamara in New Orleans, the NFC running back who has drawn the most trade chatter this offseason. The Saints signed Travis Etienne in free agency, and with Kamara carrying a $10.45 million cap hit, he suddenly looks a bit redundant.
New Orleans also has Kendre Miller, Devin Neal, Audric Estimé, and former Vikings back Ty Chandler in the mix, which only adds to the congestion. Kamara doesn’t appear to have much trade value, which helps explain why he’s still there, and he hasn’t signaled any desire to leave.
But if injuries start piling up at running back during camp and preseason, the Saints should expect their share of calls.
In Other News...
Cardinals Fans Clearly Believe One Young Pass Rusher Is Ready
With Josh Sweat assumed to be healthy and on the roster, Cardinals fans were asked a simple question about the rest of the pass rush: who finishes second on the team in sacks? The answer came back loud and clear, with Walter Nolen drawing half the vote and separating himself from the pack as the name supporters most want to see turn promise into production.
The optimism is easy to understand because the bar is high enough to make the conversation interesting. Arizona is hoping someone from that young group can get close to Calais Campbells 6.5-sack mark for the team, which would require a real leap from where these pass rushers have been before and a better collective showing than they managed a year ago. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Camp Health Report Could Change Everything For This Season
The Cardinals are heading into training camp with a health picture that looks better in some spots than it did a few weeks ago, and that matters for a roster trying to sort out its identity early. Head coach Mike LaFleur said former first-round pick Nolen is trending toward being ready after offseason meniscus surgery, while slot corner Williams is also moving in the right direction as camp approaches. Tight end Tip Reiman, meanwhile, is expected to be ready to go after dealing with a right ankle injury.
There is still a real catch to the optimism, though, because not every injury update has gone the same way. Rookie Kaleb Proctor is dealing with a meniscus tear and is facing a much longer absence, which leaves the Cardinals balancing one set of encouraging returns against a setback that could reshape how they manage the early part of camp and beyond. [Read more 🡒]