ESPN’s Barnwell lists Cardinals as buyers at the NFL trade deadline

As the Cardinals enter Week 9 in first place in a tightly contested NFC West, Arizona is firmly in the playoff conversation ahead of the Nov. 5 NFL trade deadline.

ESPN’s Bill Barnwell believes the Cardinals should be buyers and that the defense biggest question mark with the team.

Given that the offense ranked 10th in EPA per play after Murray returned from injury last season, the bigger question was always about the defensive side of the ball. Jonathan Gannon’s Eagles took a big step forward in his second season as D-coordinator in 2022, before Gannon became Arizona’s coach last year, and while the Cardinals aren’t about to rack up 70 sacks in a season, their pass defense is improving.

Barnwell notes the Cardinals’ need for pass rushing help after losing linebackers Dennis Gardeck and BJ Ojulari to season-ending injuries. He suggested the Cardinals should pursue BJ’s brother, Giants linebacker Azeez Ojulari and Titans’ linebacker Harold Landry III as players Arizona should pursue.

The Cardinals also have an obvious short-term need at edge rusher, where BJ Ojulari tore an ACL before the season. Dennis Gardeck, who had been part of the rotation on the edge, followed with his own ACL injury in the win over the Chargers. In a three-way tie for first place, Arizona shouldn’t be shopping for a 2024 rental in the hopes of trying to squeak its way into a playoff spot. Can it land an edge rusher such as Azeez Ojulari or Harold Landry who can be part of the roster for years to come? That seems more reasonable.

Barnwell isn’t the only one suggesting the Cardinals could purse Ojulari, as the Athletics’ Diana Russini reported on Saturday the Cardinals have made calls about pass rushers, Azeez being one of them.

Pass rush help has been one of the biggest needs for the Cardinals throughout the season as Arizona ranks 24th in the NFL with 15 sacks. Other than losing Ojualri and Gardeck, the team has lost  Justin Jones and Bilal Nichols on the defensive line. First-round pick Darius Robinson has not yet made his debut this season. He was activated off the injured reserve on Monday.

In eight games with the Giants this season, Azeez has six sacks with 24 tackles while Landry has four sacks with 15 total tackles in seven games played with the Titans. No Cardinal player has more than three sacks with Gardeck and defensive lineman Dante Stills as the sack leaders.