As Carolina Scrambles, Steve Keim Needs to Work His Magic
A fire sale may be happening, and the Arizona Cardinals need to get in on the action.
The Carolina Panthers became the first team in the NFL to fire their head coach this year. Head coach Matt Rhule was relieved of his duties after going 11-27 in just 33 months on the job.
He had a career-winning percentage of 40%, which is just nine points fewer than Kliff Kingsbury, but that is a different discussion.
What is essential now is for Cardinals general manager Steve Keim to work his magic and make some moves in classic "Keim Time" fashion.
The Panthers as a franchise embody the traits of their owner David Temper, who makes his wealth in the stock market. Everything has a price and everything can be had for the right price.
The Panthers are entering another rebuilding mode, but what remains is general manager Scott Fitterer.
Fitterer has shown he will be an active trade partner just as Keim has. The two of them could do some work together and perhaps pull off a move or two that could give this Cardinals roster some life before the return of DeAndre Hopkins.
Here are some players I am targeting if I am Keim:
Three Panthers for Cardinals to Target in Trade Talks
Matthew Ioannidis, Defensive Tackle
While this isn’t the flashiest name, I don’t see Carolina trading away any of it’s solid young defensive players like Brian Burns or Derrick Brown. Both would be absolute game-changers for the Cardinals defense. Settling for Matthew Ioannidis isn’t bad though.
Ioannidis is entering the final year of his deal, is a league veteran, and has been on two teams for over seven years. He is a space-eater in the middle which the Cardinals need but he also can provide pressure from the inside. Pass rushing is what this defense desperately needs and bringing it up the middle would be a nice wrinkle to add.
Yetur Gross-Matos, Edge Rusher
Yetur Gross-Matos has personally been one of my favorite players I have evaluated for the draft. Gross-Matos has a high motor and several pass-rush skills in his arsenal.
Despite all of that, he just has never gotten going in Carolina after being a second-round pick for them.
His deal ends in 2023 after his rookie contract expires which could mean that he would be more likely to be traded. He has just six sacks in three years, so to say he has underwhelmed is putting it lightly. A fresh start in Arizona alongside a veteran like J.J. Watt could be exactly what the doctor ordered.
Shaq Thompson, Linebacker
Easily the biggest name on this list, Shaq Thompson is coming off three straight 100+ tackle seasons in Carolina. His contract expires in 2024 which again could make him flexible in the situation Carolina is currently in. Thompson would be a great veteran add to the linebacking group, especially as Isaiah Simmons and Zaven Collins still try to figure out the NFL.
Apart from the veteran presence, Thompson would fit right in with the rest of his Washington Huskies teammates on defense. He can find himself around the ball like them, as he has forced seven turnovers and collected 11.5 sacks in his career.
This defense just needs to add playmakers and Thompson is definitely that.
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