3 Cardinals Trade Candidates Who Could Be Moved Now, Later or Down the Road

ARIZONA — We’re near the end of training camp, and approaching the halfway point of preseason for the Arizona Cardinals.

The Cardinals are set to conclude 2026’s iteration of camp within the next few days while traveling to Las Vegas for preseason battle two of four for the team. After this week, Arizona will reset at their base in Tempe moving forward.

The roster and its respective depth chart are taking shape, as players are rising and falling in the coaching staff’s favor.

As such, for various reasons, players might be receiving trade calls from other teams or Arizona may be looking to ship out a veteran.

Trades can be completed now, and for this regular season, the deadline is Tuesday, Nov. 10.

One candidate to be traded now (preseason), later (deadline) and down the road (after the regular season):

Now: Trey Benson

Why Cardinals Could Trade Trey Benson Now: Benson hasn’t quite lived up to the billing for his tenure in Arizona thus far, and the Cardinals made that clear after signing Tyler Allgeier and drafting Jeremiyah Love this offseason. Benson is now battling with Bam Knight for RB4 duties — and if you ask us — he’s on the outside looking in of the roster.

The Cardinals would be wise to field offers on Benson and recoup something rather than flat-out cutting him ahead of the regular season. The problem? He’s still rehabbing from meniscus surgery last season and doesn’t look promising to make an appearance during preseason play.

Later: Gardner Minshew

Why Cardinals Could Trade Gardner Minshew Later: You practically see it every year: a team looking to contend wants to beef up their quarterback room ahead of the postseason with a veteran passer. Minshew perfectly fits that bill both as both a low-cost/high-value backup and perfectly expendable quarterback.

Jacoby Brissett is set to be the immediate starter while Carson Beck might just be ready to step into action sooner as opposed to later. The Cardinals need to know what they have in Beck, making him a strong candidate to play this season — and Minshew an even stronger candidate to be traded.

Down The Road: Josh Sweat

Why Cardinals Could Trade Josh Sweat Down The Road: This wouldn’t be until after the 2026 season, though if we’re projecting trade candidates, this might be Arizona’s strongest bet. Sweat reportedly requested a trade this past offseason and hasn’t touched the field yet for the Cardinals. While his absence on PUP is strictly injury related, things have undoubtedly been weird around Sweat.

Where that could come into play is next year, where the Cardinals likely won’t turn themselves into a playoff squad in 2026 and Sweat — already paid by the organization — may want to find a second wind elsewhere. Would this be wise? Absolutely not, at least in terms of the current state of the defense. Yet teams did call this offseason on Sweat, and while Arizona didn’t make a move, that tone could change in 2027.