Cardinals Named Possible Landing Spot for Derrick Henry
The Arizona Cardinals have quite the checklist to work through this offseason.
First, the Cardinals must complete their free agency pool of signings after losing some of their top names to the open market. At the same time, finding a trade partner for wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins is also in the fold.
Fast forward to the 2023 NFL Draft, where Arizona will have the opportunity to draft a potential cornerstone player to begin the rebuild and help turn the Cardinals around.
Acquiring a running back is fairly low on the list thanks to James Conner, who signed a three-year, $21 million contract extension with the team last offseason.
When healthy, Conner has proven to be fairly strong both on the ground and through the air.
Yet after Conner exists a depth chart of Ty'Son Williams, Corey Clement and Keaontay Ingram - not bad, but nothing that suggests opposing teams will have to prepare extra for behind Conner.
Pro Football Focus has an idea to completely change the dynamic in Arizona's backfield.
In their recent article going through landing spots for different trade candidates across the league, the Cardinals found themselves listed as one of three landing spots for Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry.
Cardinals Named Possible Landing Spot for Derrick Henry
Possible Landing Spots: Chicago Bears, Arizona Cardinals, Buffalo Bills
"Trying to find willing trade partners for a 28-year-old running back with almost 2,000 career carries and a salary cap number in excess of $16 million this season is a major challenge, but there are teams out there that could see it as the kind of move that puts them over the top," said Sam Monson.
"Henry is the kind of unicorn at the position that changes the rules of everything we know about running the football in the modern NFL, which could well extend to the kind of career lifespan he will have as a running back. In today’s arms race of elite teams looking to win a Super Bowl, there may be a side willing to do what would seem reckless in the past to get over the hump. Henry has averaged 3.7 yards per carry after contact for his entire career."
In terms of money, the Cardinals do have the means to make that work. Over The Cap has Arizona sitting at $25 million in space, and that will grow if/when Hopkins is moved.
New Cardinals OC Drew Petzing previously worked in a Cleveland Browns offense that featured split backfield between Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. A similar system would be beneficial in a few different ways, which ranges from taking pressure off whatever quarterback has under center to keeping the load of Conner and (hopefully) preserving his health.
However, the Cardinals have more prominent needs other than addressing the backfield. Acquiring Henry would be nothing short of a luxury move, something the Cardinals simply can't afford given the current state of their roster.
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