The trade deadline is only a few hours away in the NFL. Cardinals GM Steve Keim said the team has been "active" in trade talks, but noted there are multiple moving parts for a trade to come to fruition, which is a willing partner, compensation and then how the contract situation of the player(s) involved impact the deal.
"There have to be so many things that have to make sense," Keim said during his appearance on the "Doug and Wolf" show on Arizona Sports 98.7. "We'll continue to work the phones."
Keim did say he thinks the key injuries around the league have increased the action around the trade deadline, which is shaping up to be one of the most active in recent memory.
-- Since it was Keim's first interview since the London trip, he said there wouldn't be one thing he'd want the Cardinals do do differently other than play better in the game. The logistics and trip itself went well. "I was hesitant with the thought of playing overseas, but what an experience it was," Keim said. "The one thing that opened up my eyes, and I had no clue, was the international excitement that the fans had."
-- Obviously there were not as many good things to say about the game itself. Keim lamented the inability to run the football, which was a death sentence against such a good Rams defensive line in terms of being able to pass protect. Defensively, Keim said the Cardinals didn't play with energy and didn't tackle well.
"The way we played in Europe was flat out unacceptable," he added.
-- Injury updates: Keim said running back David Johnson (wrist) was doing well but the rehab is time-consuming. "We will continue to monitor that to see if he can come back this season," Keim said.
As for Carson Palmer, Keim said there were a lot of "moving parts" for his potential return as well. He also acknowledged Palmer's return will be influenced at least some on how the Cards are playing.
(Just judging by Keim's tone, there was less optimism for returns of those star players than I had figured previously.)
-- Keim noted the 49ers have a lot of cap room, which helps them make a trade for QB Jimmy Garoppolo despite a "small sample size." Keim also said that in a perfect world, he would prefer to draft and develop a quarterback rather than trade for someone like Jimmy G.
"Because you can grow with them," Keim said. "It not only helps you as a team, from a salary cap structure you can pay minimal money and build a team around him."
