Ask Odegard: Will the Cardinals Trade for Josh Sweat or Haason Reddick?

We are a couple days into free agency. The Cardinals have addressed some holes but still have several roster question marks.

You can check out my grades for the first wave of signings.

Let’s get to all the personnel questions in a packed mailbag.

“Cardinals trading for Hassan or Sweat today?” – Dylan

Kyle Odegard: I actually think Josh Sweat makes a ton of sense as a trade target. He’s 26 years old and durable, which match Monti Ossenfort’s philosophy this offseason, and has past history with coach Jonathan Gannon.

Sweat is a bonafide pass-rusher at a position that is currently a black hole for the Cardinals, and he is a three-down player who would mesh well with the speed skillset of B.J. Ojulari on the other side.

I don’t know what kind of compensation it would take, but this, to me, is the most likely trade candidate to join the Cardinals in 2024. I love Haason Reddick, but he is older, more expensive, and smaller, so I think Sweat is the better fit.

“does the pats current fa convince you more or less that marv will be available at 4? does a multi year deal for ridley/chargers wr make marv available at 4 100%?” – JT

KO: More. The Jacoby Brissett signing makes it feel very likely that the Patriots take a quarterback at 3. Ridley or Mike Williams to the Patriots would be icing on the cake, but the MHJ-to-AZ odds are now -250 at BetMGM, which makes him a very heavy favorite to land with the Cardinals.

“if monti asked you one FA to scoop rn and one player besides MHJ to grab in the draft past 4th pick who would they be?” – mujfricke

KO: Can we take a flier on Mekhi Becton at this point? The former No. 11 overall pick has great athleticism, and maybe it takes a one-year prove-it deal in order to kickstart his career. It answers your left tackle question and allows for complete flexibility in the draft. The Cardinals could still select their offensive tackle of the future, but it would allow them to eye myriad options with the No. 27 overall pick.

Someone who I’d really like at No. 35 is Chop Robinson. His arms are short and he’s not great against the run, but you can find guys to do the dirty work on run downs. Robinson can fly and his burst is so enticing. It’s rare to get a potential double-digit sack guy in Round 2, and the Penn State star has that potential.

I don’t know if he will be there, but if so, I think that would be a home run pick.

“Kyle, is there any truth to the report from *checks sources* me, that you turned down a more lucrative deal from another site to join bettingodds.com/us and stay close to home?” – Jokomo13

KO: A JokoBomb in the middle of free agency! Technically this happened more than a year ago, so your sourcing might need a little work, but it is true. I love my current gig, as it gives me the freedom to write about the Cardinals, the NFL at-large and sports betting. It’s flattering when people reach out, but hopefully this setup works for a very long time because it’s a phenomenal job.

"If the cards are competitive this year, most of us think they could contend for a wild card spot. Which teams do you think they are contending with?” – Bryan A

KO: The elite teams in the NFC should be the 49ers, Cowboys and Lions. The Falcons are the favorites in the NFC South, so you’d theoretically be battling the Rams, Eagles, Packers, Seahawks, Saints, Buccaneers and Bears for three spots.

Not easy.

“Backup QB?” – Jax

KO: Both Johnny Venerable and Darren Urban have said that the Cardinals want to give Clayton Tune a chance to win the backup job, which to me is, uh, very scary. Tune was completely out of his depth against the Browns, and it’s hard to believe that he would be a viable replacement.

The backup quarterback market is nearing $8-to-$10 million per year, so I get the hesitancy to add a veteran at that price, but it feels like a necessity. You don’t want the season to be torpedoed if Kyler happens to miss three or four games.

"With all the cardinals transactions that have happened. Division wise, where do you think we have positioned ourselves in division rankings? 4th? 3rd? 2nd?” – Bird City

KO: Oh, they are still fourth. Nothing that’s happened has moved the needle much at all. BetMGM has them projected to finish last, with +1100 odds to win the NFC West, and that sounds right to me.

"Who, or which position, do you predict we draft at #27 (if we haven't traded that pick)?” – Eric

KO: Offensive tackle was my prediction before free agency, and obviously that looks even better now.

"In an argument with friends this question was brought up. Hypothetically, if you could swap Kyler for any QB in the league, how many are there and who would they be?” – Anthony Doan

KO: There are probably six: Mahomes, Lamar, Allen, Herbert, Burrow, Stroud. Guys like Stafford, Dak, Hurts, Lawrence and Jordan Love are in the same tier as Kyler for me right now, so I wouldn’t make the swap.

"Like many NFL teams, might the Cardinals be in bargain bin shopping mode for free agents right now?” – Ed Helinski

KO: It feels that way already. I’ll let it shake out, but this does feel like an underwhelming free agency. The Cardinals are looking at this as a two-year rebuild, it seems.

“The general narrative is MO was caught ‘off guard’ pun intended with the market for IOL. True?” – Andrew James

KO: I doubt it. All the general managers have a very good idea of a player’s market after conversations at the Combine. A lot of guards got paid, and I’m fine with the Cardinals sitting that out. Save your money for the premium positions.

"If MHJ is a lock at 4, what trades would you see coming if the Cards don't get themselves an OG in FA?” – cccmhhh

KO: I don’t think they would trade for a guard. Only potential addition via trade would be edge rusher, in my opinion.

"Out of Cb1, Wr1,LT which do we address in FA vs the draft” – Boj Bets

KO: I have a feeling they are done at cornerback and wide receiver, so those would be addressed in the draft. Tackle might still be a free agent option.

“Do the Cards' draft plans change after FA? More likely to draft a CB at 27 and not someone like J Newton or B Murphy” – Linda Falulu

KO: Yeah, defensive line feels like less of a priority now. I think tackle, edge rusher or cornerback at 27.

"What do you think of the DJ Humphrey’s situation? Is there a possibility they keep him, either as is or a cut & re-sign scenario?” – JJGoogsy

KO: Not as is, because the salary is too exorbitant. Could you bring him back at a drastically reduced price? I guess that’s possible, though if I’m Humphries, I’d probably prefer to rehab and then sign with a team once I’m healthy. 

If the Cardinals draft an OT at 27, Humphries might not have a spot to play when he returns.

“With Cousins headed to the Falcons, do you see the Vikings as a potential team to trade into the top 3 or 4 position for a QB in the draft? Thanks!” – Blake Sabbath

KO: Blake, tremendous username, my man. And yeah, I think the Vikings would be aggressive if the right scenario presented itself. It could be 3. It could be 4 if Marvin Harrison, Jr. goes 3.

“Since we can effectively pencil him in at this point: how long before Odunze should be expected to make major contributions on offense?” – Sean

KO: Did you misspell MHJ?

"What are the odds Arizona trades up from 27 to go get a kid they fall in love with?” – PickNSpreads

KO: I keep wondering if Olu Fashanu is gonna drop to the late teens or early 20s. Would Monti make a move for him?

There might be an offensive tackle he fancies, but then again, there are so many good options, it could make sense to wait and see who falls to 27.

"If we resign Hollywood to a team friendly deal, should we still draft a second receiver (after Marv)” – CDoss07

KO: The room would be getting pretty crowded, but I wouldn’t rule it out. 

At that point, Hollywood, Rondale Moore and Greg Dortch would be on one-year deals, and the draft is so stacked with receivers that you may be able to find another to pair with MHJ and Michael Wilson for the long-term.

“Got any favourite signings outside of the Cardinals?” – Jayco

KO: I really liked the Josh Uche and Jonathan Greenard signings. A pair of edge rushers with potential who didn’t break the bank. I feel like the Cardinals should have been in on both.

“Will marv wear 18 for us ?” – Charles Mendoza

KO: If he can pry it out of B.J. Ojulari’s cold, dead fingers.

"What’s your thoughts on the left side of the offensive line because we have no left guard and left tackle!” – Ozzy

KO: It stinks right now, and now that the first wave of free agency has come and gone, it does feel like a legitimate concern. Bad offensive line play has hurt the Cardinals for much of Kyler Murray’s tenure, so hopefully Ossenfort has a plan to rectify that.

“Do you believe CB1 still is not on this roster?” – Jaxson Carlisle

KO: Depends how you look at it. Do I think there is a cornerback on the roster who will play at a CB1 level in 2024? No, unless Garrett Williams moves outside and proves to be that dude.

But I also don’t think the Cardinals are going to add anyone of that stature. My guess is that it will be Sean Murphy-Bunting, Garrett Williams and a rookie Day 2 pick that start at cornerback in 2024.

Will that be good enough? Eh, I have my doubts.

“If hollywood signs a prove it deal with another team do you think its a mistake the cardinals didn't match” – Chalupa

KO: Depends on the money, of course, but I do hold Hollywood in higher regard than many people. His ability to take the top off the defense is important, and his skillset would work nicely with Marvin Harrison, Jr. and Trey McBride.

But I also don’t have access to the medicals on his foot, and his durability is a big question. I’d bring him back at a reasonable price point, but I do acknowledge the potential pitfalls.

"$44 mil of cap space without Humphries being released. What are the names to eyeball of other team's cuts? Left tackle market?” –69dogecoin69

KO: It seems pretty clear that Ossenfort is going to be pragmatic and prioritize durable, workmanlike players over flashy stars. Will that lack of upside work in the long run? We will see, but for now it certainly seems to be the plan.

It's hard to know of specific names, but I will say this: the Cardinals have a very clean salary cap situation and plenty of maneuverability. By not going nuts early in free agency, they can be in on basically any player they want from this point forward.

Ossenfort may choose to slow-play it with an eye on 2025, but make no mistake: the financial flexibility is there to improve this team over the next few days and weeks.