ESPN ranks 3 Cardinals among top potential NFL trade deadline targets

With a 2-5 record going into Week 8, the Arizona Cardinals look like potential sellers when the trade deadline rolls around, and they have a few veteran players contenders could be looking at.

In ESPN’s rankings of the top 25 trade candidates, edge rusher Josh Sweat ranks No. 3, safety Budda Baker ranks No. 9 and quarterback Jacoby Brissett is an honorable mention.

Matt Bowen and Jeremy Fowler predict a 40% chance of Sweat being moved.

Rival teams could see him getting moved. ‘Sweat to Dallas makes a lot of sense to me,’ an NFC exec said. ‘That’s a profile fit.’ Rumblings persist that Sweat would want a new contract — he’s in the second year of a four-year, $76 million deal — and that could complicate things. But many teams are looking for an edge rusher.

Sweat is under contract through 2028, but there’s an out in his contract where he can be released after this season with minimal dead money. So, if Arizona decides to move the veteran pass rusher, there would be some conversations to be had at the end of the season.

Through seven games this season, Sweat has registered 11 tackles and two sacks, a production decrease from last year’s career-high 12 sacks in 17 games.

Baker is in a similar position, as Fowler and Bowen predict there’s a 35% chance his 10-year run with the Cardinals comes to an end this deadline. Here’s what Fowler is hearing around the league:

A few wins won’t camouflage Arizona’s transitional state — and it needs draft capital to finish the rebuild. Baker, who has seven consecutive Pro Bowls and has 3.5 sacks on the season, could help get the Cardinals some extra picks. Long a favorite in coaching circles, Baker would garner strong interest. He’s owed $16.2 million this year and $17.8 million next year. People I’ve talked to believe the Cardinals should try to get something for Baker.

Baker is under contract through 2027, but like Sweat, there’s an out at the end of this season with only about $3 million in dead money.

Through seven games, the four-time All-Pro and eight-time Pro-Bowler has 44 tackles, four passes defensed, 3.5 sacks and an interception. Baker is on pace to set a new career high in passes defensed and has already collected the most sacks of his career.

Brissett has been the Cardinals’ starting quarterback all season, but as losses continue piling up, the speculation continues to grow. Should the Cardinals go in a different direction and start Gardner Minshew II or rookie Carson Beck?

Brissett has passed for 10 touchdowns and six interceptions while ranking 22nd in the league in quarterback rating this season.

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