The loss of starting Pro-Bowl center Rodney Hudson due to a ribs and shoulder injury for the Arizona Cardinals would hurt most, if not all teams in the NFL.
Centers are hard to come by in the NFL and the Cardinals themselves, before acquiring Hudson from the Las Vegas Raiders, had many issues prior in that department.
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After losing Hudson in the second half against the San Francisco 49ers, backup right guard Max Garcia stepped in and provided much-needed support for Kyler Murray. Even against the devastating Cleveland Browns defensive front a week later, Garcia was the highest-graded offensive lineman on the Cardinals, per Pro Football Focus.
Garcia will remain as the starting center until Hudson returns from the injured reserve. Hudson won’t return for at least two more games. However, the trade deadline is on November 2, which could give Steve Keim an incentive to add depth to the position.
Proposal Has Cards Trade with Familiar Foe
Brett Sobleski of Bleacher Report wrote a piece regarding the trade deadline, targeting one player that makes sense for all 32 teams. Sobleski makes it clear that each target is “favorable for the specific team being discussed, not the individual’s current squad.”
Sobleski wants the center position addressed for Arizona.
Rodney Hudson is currently dealing with injured ribs. He’s out for at least another two games since he’s on short-term injured reserve, but when healthy, he is one of the game’s best centers. Without him, the Arizona Cardinals are a little soft along their offensive interior. Max Garcia held up relatively well against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, but he put a few bad reps against their talented defensive line on film, too.
Garcia was mostly solid against the Browns, but he did have a hiccup in communication when he abruptly snapped the football, which resulted in a Murray fumble that lost 14 yards.
Sobleski suggests the Cardinals explore Raiders backup center Nick Martin’s services.
“Nick Martin is a possible insurance plan, and the Las Vegas Raiders have moved forward with Andre James as their primary snapper,” Sobleski explained. “Martin is experienced, though, as the sixth-year veteran started 62 games over the previous four seasons. He can take over for Garcia if necessary or provide quality depth to all three interior line spots.”
Once the Raiders made All-Pro Hudson available in March, the Cardinals attacked. All it took was a third-round selection in 2021 to make Hudson a Cardinals. Then, the Cardinals gave Hudson a three-year, $30 million extension. Hudson replaced starter Mason Cole, who didn’t get the job done in 2020.
Hudson hadn’t allowed a single pressure before the ribs and shoulder injury. Would trading with the Raiders work out a second time?
Does Proposal Make Sense?
Martin was a second-round pick in 2016 by the Houston Texans. Unfortunately for Martin, he was out for his rookie season due to ankle surgery. He would suffer another ankle injury in 2017 after starting the first 14 games of the season. But after a healthy 2018 season, Martin signed a three-year extension worth $33 million in 2019.
Just two years later on February 26, 2021, the Texans released Martin. The Texans happened to release now-Cardinals All-Pro defender J.J. Watt 14 days earlier.
Martin has yet to appear in one snap this season offensively and has only appeared on special teams. He received a positive 74.0 grade in pass blocking according to PFF in 2020,
Our own Heavy Raiders’ writer Austin Boyd says, “fans want to see backup veteran Nick Martin step in but it looks like the Raiders are going to stick it out with James.”
Obviously, you can’t operate a team based on what the fans want. But if the Raiders aren’t using Martin, why shouldn’t the Cardinals explore his services? Martin wouldn’t have to start but if Garcia struggles or even worse, gets hurt, the Cardinals have two centers on the mend. Sean Harlow is the remaining center, but he doesn’t have any center experience. Or if Garcia struggles, Hudson’s injury status still isn’t known for the future.
For just a late-round pick, trading for Martin would be intriguing for the Cardinals.
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