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1st round draft picks can change plans: The #AZCardinals picked LB Zaven Collins 16th overall, and he is now the starting MIKE backer. The team has given Jordan Hicks permission to find a new home via trade, source said. Hicks is a respected leader & AZ wants to do right by him.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 12, 2021
Well that’s interesting. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that the Arizona Cardinals are exploring potential trades for starting middle linebacker Jordan Hicks, having drafted his replacement in the first round — Tulsa prospect Zaven Collins. Hicks recently restructured his contract and could remain in Arizona as a backup, but he’s a starting-quality option at an affordable rate: any team that acquires him in a trade owes him just a $2 million base salary and $3 million in incentives for the 2021 season.
That fits the Saints’ budget, even though they haven’t signed their draft class yet. That’s not an issue considering contract values are tied to draft slots under the new collective bargaining agreement, and the Saints can free up more funds in a hurry by hammering out extensions with highly-paid stars in the final years of their current deals like Marcus Williams, Ryan Ramczyk, Marshon Lattimore, and Terron Armstead.
But let’s circle back to Hicks. The 6-foot-1, 236 pound 28-year old fits New Orleans’ prototypes for size and speed, with the impressive three-cone time the Saints value (and, yes, he has a terrific Relative Athletic Score). He’s been a productive pro for the Cardinals after four years with the Philadelphia Eagles and could solidify a weak spot in New Orleans next to Demario Davis.
While Pete Werner was drafted in the second round and is probably the Saints’ most pro-ready rookie, he’s expected to play often on special teams and could compete with Hicks to start next to Demario Davis. The Saints lost Alex Anzalone in free agency and still haven’t re-signed Craig Robertson, who led the team in snaps played in the kicking game as their special teams captain.
It doesn’t appear last year’s draft pick Zack Baun is any closer to pushing for starter’s snaps in New Orleans’ two-linebacker defensive look (they ran just 88 plays with three or more linebackers on the field last year, out of nearly 1,000 reps), and their 2020 midseason trade pickup Kwon Alexander is still recovering from Achilles surgery.
So adding Hicks makes sense, both financially and given the state of the depth chart. It will depend on whether the Saints can cut a deal with Arizona; New Orleans finally has a wealth of draft picks in 2022 to work with, not counting their compensatory picks for Trey Hendrickson and Sheldon Rankins. If they could flip a fifth or fourth rounder for Hicks, there’s little reason not to.
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