The Arizona Cardinals and the rest of the NFL are approaching the roster cutdown date and trades are coming. Some will be big and others will be minor.
But what are the trades that need to happen, that work for everyone?
According to Touchdown Wire’s Mark Schofield, the Cardinals should make one of seven proposed moves.
He writes they should trade second-year receiver Hakeem Butler to the New York Jets.
Hakeem Butler was one of the darlings of the draft community in the run up to the 2019 NFL Draft, but he fell to the fourth round, despite his mix of size, athleticism and ball skills. Now with the Arizona Cardinals, there are signs that Butler could be out of a job sooner than expected, and may in fact be on the roster bubble.
After all, the Cardinals acquired DeAndre Hopkins via a trade with the Houston Texans during free agency, and still have Christian Kirk and Larry Fitzgerald on the roster. Sure, Arizona runs 10 personnel (four wide receivers) more than any other team in the league, but in training camp both Andy Isabella and KeeSean Johnson have performed well, while Butler seems to be lagging behind.
If the Cardinals are looking to perhaps simply cut him, perhaps they could at least get something in return for him before just letting him go. That leads us to the New York Jets, who seem to need an injection of talent into their wide receiver room. Rookie Denzel Mims has been limited in training camp with a hamstring injury, and the team added Chris Hogan recently to bolster the position.
Butler might not have panned out in Arizona, but his size and ability to get the football would make him at least an option in the Jets’ offense. Considering the cost might be minimal, it is worth the roll of the dice for a team looking to find any way to put points on the scoreboard.
Butler might not make the roster this year, especially if they determine that tight end Dan Arnold is going to be a legitimate fourth option as a pass catcher.
Because of Butler’s physical traits, he would very possibly get claimed by a team after cuts and keep the Cardinals from putting him on the practice squad, so getting something for him would be ideal.
There would have to be interest and, considering he missed last season and there isn’t really any tape since he was drafted for teams to evaluate, the Cardinals might be hard-pressed to find a partner.
But if the Jets would part with a Day 3 pick, the Cardinals should pull the trigger.
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