Getty Linebacker Haasan Reddick #43 of the Arizona Cardinals.
The NFL trade deadline is fast approaching and arguably no player across the league has been engulfed in trade talks more than New York Giants tight end Evan Engram. Yes, numerous reports out of New York appear to point towards the team holding onto the underperforming, yet uber-talented pass catcher. With that said, if the Odell Beckham Jr. trade showed us anything, it’s not to take a player’s roster security at face value simply because we are told to.
So, if GM Dave Gettleman is in fact attempting to wheel and deal behind closed doors, who should be on the other line? NorthJersey.com’s Art Stapleton envisions a trade package with the Arizona Cardinals that would land Big Blue a local product who would add a jolt of versatility to their linebacking corps. A player might we add, that just five months ago, The Athletic’s Michael Lombardi reported Arizona “would gladly move on from.”
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Examining an Evan Engram-Haason Reddick Trade
Stapleton recently noted on Twitter that the Giants should “call Arizona with a package of Evan Engram and Markus Golden for Haason Reddick and a pick,” preferably a fifth or sixth-rounder.
The good news? Part of that deal has already been completed. Just hours after Stapleton’s tweet, New York sent Golden to the Cards in exchange for a 2021 sixth-round pick. The not so good news? It’ll likely take more than just Engram to pry Reddick away from Arizona, as the former first-rounder has finally begun to convert his intriguing skillset to on-field production.
Through the first seven games of 2020, Reddick, a Camden (NJ) native, leads the Cardinals with five sacks, already his highest single-season output over his four-year pro career. While Golden would certainly ease the loss of Reddick on the edge of Arizona’s defense, the Cardinals are already operating with a man down. Last year’s second-leading sack-getter in the NFL, Chandler Jones, underwent biceps surgery earlier this month, ending his 2020 campaign.
It’s also worth noting that Reddick’s ability to moonlight at inside linebacker is likely a worthy security blanket for the Cardinals to keep around, as rookie Isaiah Simmons struggles to transition in Arizona’s defensive scheme, playing a season-low five snaps in Week 7.
To those saying, well why not just trade for Simmons? While certainly a welcoming proposal, don’t expect the Cardinals to cut bait with a top-10 pick after just seven weeks. Even Josh Rosen was given a full season in the desert before being shown the door.
Cardinals a Prime Landing Spot for Engram?
While a trade may seem unlikely at the moment, the prospect of adding a talent such as Engram to the Kyler Murray-led aerial attack in Arizona has many intrigued, including Fansided’s Jim Kooch.
“Despite his slow start this season, Engram would still be an intriguing addition to the Arizona roster,” Kooch said. “The organization has gotten very little out of Dan Arnold, the tight end that quite a few experts believed would be a solid contributor for Kingsbury’s ‘Air Raid’ scoring attack. The Cardinals lost another veteran at the spot, Maxx Williams, to a season-ending ankle injury last month.”