Offence is king in today’s NFL, but if your team can’t defend it’s got no shot at the throne.
That’s why Monday’s news that Patrick Peterson — a shutdown pass defender with dynamic playmaking ability — “desperately” wants out of Arizona is so significant. Cornerbacks with the talent Peterson has are rare, and the opportunity to acquire one via trade even rarer. Contending teams with a need should be jumping at this opportunity.
What exactly it might take to bring in Peterson is up for debate, but at least one first-round pick will have to be involved.
Which teams could take a shot at Peterson? We think any team would be foolish not to consider the move, but here are five who should be calling Arizona Cardinals general manager Steve Keim right now.
Note: The New Orleans Saints would’ve been at the top of this list, but they acquired Eli Apple from the Giants on Tuesday and are likely out of the running.
Kansas City Chiefs
This is an obvious fit.
The Chiefs offence is unrivalled in the AFC, and K.C.’s sights are set on winning a Super Bowl. Now. But there’s one issue, and it’ll probably do the Chiefs in come playoff time.
Kansas City’s defence has surrendered more yards this season than any other and are ranked dead-last in pass defence. The Chiefs traded away their best corner in Marcus Peters in February, and while they did acquire Kendall Fuller in the Alex Smith deal, they could desperately use a player of Peterson’s calibre to line up opposite their young corner.
With title aspirations and a top-notch offence, Peterson could be the final piece to help Andy Reid finally lift the Lombardi.
New England Patriots
Could the rich get richer?
If I’m Bill Belichick, I’m making a serious run at Peterson. The Patriots have a No. 1 corner in Stephon Gilmore, but the drop-off in talent after him is significant — and it shows in the stats. New England is allowing more than 275 passing yards per game and have given up the fourth-most passing touchdowns so far in 2018.
And the Patriots have the assets to make a deal happen, including a first-round pick and two second-rounders in next spring’s draft.
Teamed with Gilmore, Peterson could help the Patriots form the league’s best cornerback tandem and help Belichick to a sixth ring.
Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati’s hot start to the season is quickly unravelling.
After getting out of the gate at 4-1, the Bengals have lost back-to-back games, including an embarrassing beatdown on national television at the hands of Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs.
And while that terrible performance must also be laid at the feet of Andy Dalton and the offence, the defence got skewered and has been a big problem for the Bengals this season. With 353 yards through the air from Mahomes, Cincy has given up 350-plus yards in four of their seven games and at least 300 in five.
All of a sudden the Bengals find themselves in third in the AFC North, and badly in need of a boost — on the field and for morale. Bringing in Peterson would do just that.
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Minnesota Vikings
Fresh off a third straight win, the Vikings seem to have finally found their footing after a 1-2-1 record through the first month of the season.
But with that success has come some injury woes, including the loss of first-round cornerback Mike Hughes for the season and No. 1 CB Xavier Rhodes just this weekend to an ankle injury. For a team with an eye on the Super Bowl, those could end up being significant injuries to a defence that, despite ranking middle of the pack, has been somewhat underwhelming through seven games.
With the NFC North as competitive as ever and all four offences fuelled by the passing game, the Vikings will need to be healthy and active at corner to win the division, let alone make a run at a Super Bowl ring.
Philadelphia Eagles
Executive VP of football operations Howie Roseman has never been afraid to swing a big deal to help his team, and the Eagles need to make a move.
Now 3-4 after blowing the second double-digit fourth-quarter lead of the season, Philadelphia has been gashed in the passing game on multiple occasions this season. The loss of safety Rodney McCleod has hurt the Eagles in the secondary, but the fact is the cornerbacks haven’t been good enough.
Big fourth quarters from Marcus Mariota and Cam Newton have resulted in a pair of losses, and it’s hard to see the current group making improvements unchanged.
With the NFC East wide open, trading for Peterson would do wonders for a struggling secondary and a Philadelphia squad hoping desperately to avoid that Super Bowl hangover.
