Cardinals Named Trade Spot for DL

The Arizona Cardinals were pegged as a destination for Derrick Brown.

ARIZONA -- The Arizona Cardinals added some massive help along the defensive interior this offseason, plugging in names such as Justin Jones and Bilal Nichols to a position group that desperately needed a new injection of life.

Should the Cardinals be looking to beef up their standing in the trenches, The 33rd Team has just the trade candidate to make another splash.

Carolina Panthers DL Derrick Brown - a former first-round pick - could be on the move as he enters the final year of his contract.

Arizona would be a prime spot, according to Dan Pizzuta.

"The Arizona Cardinals tried to rework their entire interior front in free agency with Justin Jones, Bilal Nichols and Khyiris Tonga. Still, that’s not an imposing starting front against the run. Arizona ranked 32nd in success rate against the run in 2023 and, even with those additions, could use some help inside," he wrote. "The Cardinals still have just less than $20 million in effective cap space."

The Cardinals do rotate their defensive line heavily over the course of a game/season, so more bodies are always welcome, especially along a unit that didn't boast much productivity in 2023.

Brown would be an immediate upgrade to Arizona's run-stopping efforts in particular.

"Brown was a force against the run in 2023 with 80 tackles that produced a positive play for the defense by EPA, 14th in the league and easily the most among defensive linemen. He made a tackle on 22.1 percent of his run stops, which was the third-highest rate among defensive linemen with at least 500 snaps," wrote Pizzuta.

Arizona has plenty of draft capital and cap space to make a deal happen if they chose to take that route, though it appears they may be done making major moves until the 2024 NFL Draft later in April.