Arizona Cardinals wide receiver options heading into the regular season

Last week we heard criticism from Bruce Arians about the receiving corps, and everyone (including me) became worried about the current state of that said corps.

The problems aren’t specific, it’s a bounty of things.

Injuries haven’t been John Brown’s or Aaron Dobson’s (borderline 53 guy) best friend, and without them, it’s a depleted room. Jeremy Ross redeemed himself against the Bears, but had some miscues against the Raiders including a miss on what should have been a catch on that incredible throw from Gabbert, but he couldn’t corral it. J.J. Nelson seems to be struggling with locating the ball.

The only two receivers that BA seemed enthused about was Larry Fitzgerald and Jaron Brown.

So as we are approaching the midpoint of preseason, I will put out some viable options that are still out on the market, that the Cardinals may be interested in.

Free Agents: (Likelihood from 1- Unlikely to 5- Likely

Dorial Green-Beckham - Last team: Philadelphia Eagles

I am only putting Green-Beckham on this list because of the undeniable truth. Size weighs heavy on a receiving corps.

First, I’m biased, not going to lie. I loved DGB back when he was an Oklahoma sooner, and still have admiration for him. Second, he is 6’5’’, 235 pounds, which is undeniably taller than all of the other receivers in the room. He obviously was a second round pick a while ago because of his freakish attributes, could BA tap into potential?

Likelihood - 2

Percy Harvin - Last team: Buffalo BillsTo

me, unless you want to go older (Vincent Jackson), this is your last chance at getting a quality receiver who could make an impact off the open market. Percy Harvin was disappointing in Buffalo, but in a better system, could he be a viable receiver for the Cardinals? Harvin is absolutely a great athlete. He is in retirement, so this is more of a stretch, but why not at least inquire? I like him more if John Brown is still hobbled.

Likelihood - 1

Trades:

Arizona Cardinals receives:

Demarcus Ayers - Wide ReceiverPittsburgh

Steelers receives:

‘18 7th Round Selection

If there is a receivers room that is deepest in the NFL, it’s the Steelers, and deservedly so. There are at least 5 receivers (Antonio Brown, Martavis Bryant, Sammie Coates, Darrius Heyward-Bey, and Eli Rogers) in front of Ayers, and that doesn’t include 2nd rounder JuJu Smith-Schuster.

It’s a numbers game for the Steelers, so maybe the Cardinals and BA can reap the benefits of a crowded receivers room. A 7th round selection isn’t too bad for a gifted speedster like Demarcus Ayers. He’s still only 23 this year, and he does have potential. Better to use a 7th rounder on someone like Ayers then to have a raw rookie. Just my opinion.

Likelihood - 4

Arizona Cardinals receives:

Davante Adams - Wide Receiver

Green Bay Packers receives:

Mike Iupati - Offensive Guard

‘19 4th Round Selection

Go big or go home, right? Would the Packers really give us Davante Adams for Mike Iupati and chump change? Well, if Iupati is anywhere close to his pro-bowl strength, yes. Either way, the Packers are heavily dependant on Lane Taylor, a long time backup, so I think it would be beneficial for them to find a better solution.

The Packers have the best trade chip of all, Davante Adams had 12 touchdowns last year, and proved to be a homerun threat on every play. The Cardinals receiving corps would be a great investment, why not get a pro-bowl receiving option for a pro-bowl type of guard. Win-win.

Likelihood - 0 (Based on Iupati's preseason play)

Arizona Cardinals receives:

Golden Tate - Wide Receiver

Detroit Lions receives:

'18 4th Round Selection

Sot this one I might have gone too far, but I really don’t care, this is a fun exercise and that’s what this is, just for fun. Golden Tate to the Cardinals makes sense in many senses.

1. Golden Tate wants to be a number one receiver, and that just happens to be an open spot for the Cardinals going forward past the 2018 season.

2. His body type is resemblant to that of Anquan Boldin, as he could take a hit and keep on rolling. And...

3. He would be cheap for a 1000 yard receiver. Yes, he wants to be paid, but that doesn’t mean he wants to be the top paid receiver. Respectable numbers say in the range of $7M, which honestly isn’t bad for a number one.

Likelihood - 1

Editor's Note: As you can see, there are not a lot, if any options out there for the Cardinals at wide receiver.