5 Trades Cardinals Missed This Deadline

The Arizona Cardinals were silent at the trade deadline, though these moves could have helped the team.

Oct 5, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Rashid Shaheed (22) celebrates after a play against the New York Giants during the fourth quarter at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

The Arizona Cardinals opted to be silent at the league's trade deadline and roll with what they have for the remainder of the season. It didn't come as much of a surprise, considering the team's position in the NFC. A playoff run is almost (historically) impossible and certainly improbable at 3-5. It would be hard to justify some kind of "all-in" approach given the unlikelihood of turning the season around.

With that being said, there were some moves made at the trade deadline that certainly had fans asking themselves, "Why didn't we make that move?" Some of those thoughts are valid, too. I was a proponent for the team to stay out of the way during the deadline, but some of the trades that were processed had me believing the Cardinals could and maybe even should have made similar offers.

I'm not here to tell you that Arizona should've gone in on the insane trades that included Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams, but there were several trades that would have benefited the Cardinals now and potentially even down the line.

Four trades stood out to me as moves I wish the Cardinals made, and there's one player who wasn't traded that I really would have liked to have seen make his way to the desert. Let's break them down, starting with the four actual trades.

Rashid Shaheed

Aug 10, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Rashid Shaheed (22) reacts in the first half against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

How long have I been pestering the Cardinals to add speed to their wide receiver corps? Apparently not enough, because the team passed on making a play for the speedy Shaheed with the Saints advertising themselves as sellers. Worse yet, he went to the Seahawks to rejoin his former offensive coordinator and flourish with Sam Darnold and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The rich get richer, I suppose.

The Cardinals have gotten almost nothing from their wide receivers aside from Marvin Harrison Jr. and Michael Wilson, neither of whom stretch the field, by the way. Yes, Seattle paid a hefty price for Shaheed, but he's one of the league's best deep threats and can break games open at any time. Now, not only will the Cardinals regret not making a play for a game-changing receiver, but they have to witness him punishing them on Sunday and potentially beyond.

Odafe Oweh

Sep 15, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens linebacker Odafe Oweh (99) celebrate4s after sacking Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew (15) during the first quarter at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Credit to the Cardinals' staff for addressing their pass rush as well as they have. The team added Josh Sweat, who is on pace to shatter his single-season best with seven sacks in as many games, and he's transformed the unit. Baron Browning was brought back, and Jordan Burch was drafted in the third round of this year's draft, both of whom have made impacts. And the looming return of BJ Ojulari should only make things better.

Still, you can never have too many pass rushers, and the Ravens gave up Oweh for pennies on the dollar. Baltimore exchanged Oweh with the Chargers for safety Alohi Gilman and swapped late-round draft picks. Arizona could've done something similar and moved Jalen Thompson to upgrade their pass rush. Thompson has played well, but it wouldn't have been a bad idea to move him, improve your pass rush, and allow Dadrion Taylor-Demerson to assume his eventual full-time role across from Budda Baker.

Logan Wilson

Aug 7, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson (55) in the tunnel against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

The Cardinals are fine at linebacker, and Mack Wilson has played well through the first half of the season. Akeem Davis-Gaither is fine, but the rest of the room hasn't done much aside from Monday night's breakout performance from rookie Cody Simon against the Cowboys. When you see what the aforementioned Cowboys gave up to acquire the former Bengals linebacker, it's fair to wonder if the Cardinals should've given a similar offer.

Although Wilson hasn't been his usual self this year, he's been one of the league's standout linebackers for the better part of a decade. Pairing him and Wilson would give Arizona a tenured and talented linebacker duo to keep the defense from slumping down an important stretch of the season.

Trevor Penning

Sep 24, 2023; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; New Orleans Saints offensive tackle Trevor Penning (70) during warmups prior to the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Penning has moved all over the place in his short time in the league, playing both tackle spots and recently kicking inside to guard. An ailing Chargers offensive line brought him in for cheap to give them any kind of help and keep their offense from plummeting amid seemingly endless injuries. Makes sense.

But why didn't the Cardinals make the trade? Sure, Penning hasn't been what he was believed to be when the Saints drafted him in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, but he's leaps and bounds better than 90% of the team's current offensive line room. Penning would've found a starting role at either guard spot or right tackle and been an instant upgrade. Of all the trades I would've liked to have seen Arizona make, this was at the top of my list.

Bonus: Breece Hall

Oct 26, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; New York Jets running back Breece Hall (20) runs with the ball during the second quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images | Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

Hall wasn't traded, which is why I have him listed as a bonus. The Jets (surprisingly) sold off two of their best players in Gardner and Williams, basically implying anybody and everybody was up for grabs. Hall had been in trade circles for months, so him staying was quite shocking. Perhaps they didn't receive offers they liked.

I would've liked to have seen the Cardinals kick the tires on the talented 24-year-old. Although he's struggled to stay 100% healthy, Hall is a game-changer when he's on the field. Arizona's offense won't take that next step forward without a better run game, and Hall could've been the piece to put them over the top following Brissett's takeover.