The Dallas Cowboys could look to trade Morris Claiborne at the NFL draft and the Arizona Cardinals could be an option, as they are looking at Derek Carr as a potential backup for Carson Palmer.
The Arizona Cardinals are coming into the NFL draft with numerous needs on offense and defense and one area of concern is at quarterback and rumors have the team looking at Derek Carr and AJ McCarron as potential targets, while the team also could consider making a trade with the Dallas Cowboys for cornerback Morris Claiborne, as the team has a big need on the defensive line and they could help out with Dan Williams.
ESPN writer Field Yates put together a list of some trades that he thinks should go down and while this one is unlikely to happen, it's very interesting for a number of reasons and could set up the Cowboys and the Cardinals for a solid draft coming up in May if they decided to do it. According to the ESPN article, Yates writes that the Cardinals could look to acquire Claiborne, as he could pair up with Patrick Peterson and Antonio Cromartie to make a formidable cornerback duo and in return the Cowboys would get Dan Williams at defensive tackle and that would give the team a boost after ranking near the bottom of the league in rushing yards allowed per game last season. Williams is just 26 years old and he was very solid with 23 tackles and a sack last season.
According to ESPN.com, one nugget to keep an eye on is the fifth year option on Claiborne's contract, which comes into play after this season and into 2016. The Cowboys have said they will keep Tyron Smith with his fifth year option and while that was an easy decision, Todd Archer at ESPN.com writes that Claiborne's is not so simple. The franchise tag on cornerbacks is already at $10.081 million for 2014 and it could be ever higher for next year and that means the Cowboys need to decide if Claiborne is worth paying that much money.
Last season the team ranked second to last in the NFL in passing yards allowed per game and while that wasn't his entire fault, the team still wants him to perform better. The Cowboys moved up to get Mo back in 2012, trading their first and second round picks for him and he was taken sixth overall and he has just two picks over his first two seasons and last year he lost his job to Orlando Scandrick. That was partly due to injury, but not totally and with his starter status and health up in the air going forward, he could be a player that gets moved. The Cowboys have some big decisions to make in 2014 and they could have implications far beyond this season.
The trade is very unlikely, since the NFL usually has players for draft picks and not straight up for each other, but Yates makes some good points on both sides as reasons why the draft could work. The Cardinals ranked first in the league in yards allowed per game on defense on the ground and that means they could afford to lose Williams, while adding Claiborne could make an unstoppable unit with Patrick Peterson and Tyrann Mathieu and on top of that, it gives the Cards some future leverage. The article says that since Peterson is a free agent after next season, making a move like this could help give the Cardinals some insurance if he leaves, as he is now considered the best young cornerback in the game and he is an electric return man.
The Cowboys traded up for Claiborne when they drafted him, so they likely would want a pick or two in the deal as well, but this move could be an option for Jerry Jones, as Claiborne has fallen into the third cornerback stop after a rough season. The team likes Claiborne, but he has not lived up to expectations and adding someone like Williams with Henry Melton, an offseason signing, the weakness of the Cowboys D could be a strength again after they lost Jason Hatcher and DeMarcus Ware.
Crazier trades have happened and that is just speculation, but new rumors also have the team looking at AJ McCarron and Derek Carr as draft targets to be the backup for Carson Palmer and the future QB of the team. According to the recent MMQB, the Cards like both players, as they could be drafted in the later rounds after the Big 3 QBs. McCarron was excellent once again with over 3,000 yards passing and 28 touchdowns with just seven interceptions, while Carr put up over 5,000 yards and had 50 touchdowns and just eight picks. The Cardinals ranked 14th in passing yards allowed per game last season and 13th in passing yards per game and here they could try and fix both in the draft in May.
