Cardinals Mailbag: Trade Candidates, Starting OL + More

As we march into the final days of OTAs, Arizona Cardinals fans have questions. And we have answers.

Hopefully.

Thanks to everybody for the questions from the mailbag. Hope you enjoy!

Do you see James Conner getting traded before Week 1? - Ryan

Ryan, I do think the Cardinals could possibly trade a running back. I also do think teams would prefer James Conner over Trey Benson. But I'm not jumping on board with this one.

Conner, more than anything else, is a locker room guy. Under the watch of a first-year head coach in Mike LaFleur, the more you have of those, the better.

Is Conner going to be what he was in previous years? Not with Jeremiyah Love and Tyler Allgeier there, no. His season-ending foot injury from 2025 still lingers, too.

Yet Conner — who restructured his deal to stay in Arizona this offseason — is a tremendous RB3 to have in your backfield while also providing more value as a veteran off the field.

That's key, and I don't think the Cardinals want to offload that — at least not for cheap.

Will Daryl Washington be ready in time for the start of the season? - Tyler

I love these questions, for what it's worth. A prime Washington would be fun on this defense, for what it's worth. Shame the road that went down.

How’d Darius Robinson go from a 1st round pick to the worst rated PFF lineman in the league? - Scott

Scott, the injury really derailed his rookie season, and it felt like Robinson has been battling uphill since then. Prior head coach Jonathan Gannon swore up and down that Robinson was making an impact despite not filling up the box score, though obviously analytics disagree.

Robinson is built like a Greek statue and that's where some of the frustration comes in — he's quick off the ball and is strong but hasn't really been able to make a difference in the passing game.

Sometimes first-round picks bust. Drafting is hard and not everybody works out, that's what makes team-building so coveted.

While it's too early to throw the towel in for Robinson, to say this year is a definitive year for his career would be an understatement.

What kind of vibes are you getting out of the Cardinals organization right now? - Ed

Ed, they seem positive — though I promise that's the case right now for 31 other teams as well.

I think there's a lot of excitement about what Mike LaFleur can be as an offensive mind/play-caller. With that said, what can the team do without their quarterback of the future?

Perhaps that's Carson Beck, but I firmly believe 2026 is a year where the Cardinals are going to focus on laying the foundation of what's ahead. Obviously they're going to try and win games, but I do think there's a general understanding that a Super Bowl won't be won here and now.

If LaFleur can have a successful first season in terms of improving the Cardinals, the vibes will be optimistic (for good reason) entering next year.

Are they really going to start Isaiah Adams and Elijah Wilkinson on the right side of the O-line? - Angry Cards Fan

That's what the current right side projects as, though we need to remember it's just voluntary OTA's.

Wilkinson probably is going to the team's starting right tackle, as there's not a ton of viable competition for that spot.

The same can't be said for Adams, who has second-round pick Chase Bisontis behind him. The Cardinals weren't going to make a rookie a starter immediately out of the gates.

Ultimately, Bisontis will have a good shot to be the starter at right guard. But that opportunity will come in training camp.

We want a day in the life of Donnie when covering the team — Bryan

I get this a lot! I truly live a fun life when covering the Cardinals. I actually did a quick YouTube video which you can check out below:

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