Cardinals Receive Mediocre Grade for Robbie Anderson Trade
Robbie Anderson has been with the Arizona Cardinals for a week now, and the hope is his impact can slowly but surely integrate itself onto the field.
Anderson was acquired from the Carolina Panthers for two late-round picks after losing Marquise Brown. The Cardinals coveted his size (6-foot-3) and speed down the field and like their chances with Anderson as their WR3 after Brown returns to full health.
For Arizona, it was a low-risk trade to add a name to a receiving corps that lost a productive weapon. For Carolina, they managed to grab some sort of compensation before Anderson hit the open market.
ESPN believes the Panthers got the better end of the deal, giving Carolina a B+ while only giving the Cardinals a C.
Cardinals Receive Mediocre Grade for Robbie Anderson Trade
Here's what Seth Walder said on Arizona's side of the deal:
"Even with DeAndre Hopkins coming back from suspension, the Cardinals need help at receiver -- Marquise Brown suffered a potentially season-ending foot injury Sunday, per Adam Schefter.
"A.J. Green, who has run the second-most routes among Cardinals WRs this year, ranks last among all qualifying wide receivers and tight ends -- and it's not even close -- in overall score on our new Receiver Tracking Metrics (RTMs) with a 22. Green also ranks last in yards per route run among wide receivers with at least 75 routes.
"The problem is that Anderson is no Brown and might be only a slight upgrade over Green. While he has been better in the RTMs in 2022 than Green, the former Panthers wideout recorded the worst overall score in 2021 (12). Anderson has a 41 overall score in 2022 and has been below average to average across the board with an Open Score, Catch Score and YAC Score of 40, 46 and 50, respectively.
"He has 206 receiving yards this season, 150 more than Green on a similar number of routes while playing with a worse quarterback. He also has had an almost unfathomably low 48% catch rate both this year and last.
"Anderson has been productive before, though. He racked up 1,096 receiving yards on 95 receptions in 2020 (and performed much better in the RTMs that year, too).
"The cost here is light. It's also a little more than I'd thought a team would have to spend for a disappointing receiver clearly in conflict with his team. He's also only a rental for the Cardinals: Anderson's non-guaranteed $12 million in salary plus roster and workout bonuses is in 2023 is not a price Arizona will be paying."
Will the Cardinals cut ties with Anderson following the season? Time will tell, as some major changes within Arizona's foundation might change depending on how the rest of the season goes.
Yet for now, Anderson hopes to fill the void at WR2 for Arizona. The Cardinals just hope his presence can help boost an offense that needs all the help it can get.
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