The Arizona Cardinals made a trio of trades Thursday, sending linebacker Isaiah Simmons to the New York Giants and offensive tackle Josh Jones to the Houston Texans before acquiring quarterback Josh Dobbs from the Cleveland Browns.
Simmons went to the Giants in exchange for a 2024 seventh-round draft pick.
Jones was sent to the Texans, along with a 2024 seventh-round pick for a fifth-round selection in the same draft.
“(Getting picks) isn’t what we are actively doing,” Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort said. “What we are doing is actively making the best decisions for us this year moving forward.”
Later in the day, multiple reports said the Cardinals acquired Dobbs and a seventh-round pick from the Browns in exchange for a fifth-round pick.
The 28-year-old veteran quarterback made the first two starts of his NFL career last season for Tennessee. He joins a quarterback room that includes Colt McCoy, rookie Clayton Tune, David Blough and Jeff Driskel as the Cardinals wait and see if Kyler Murray (ACL rehab) will be ready to play Week 1.
Simmons, 25, was the No. 8 overall pick by the Cardinals in the 2020 NFL Draft out of Clemson.
He recorded 99 tackles and set career highs in sacks (four) and interceptions (two) in 17 games (13 starts) last season.
Simmons appeared in all 50 games (37 starts) for Arizona from 2020-22 and racked up 258 tackles, 7.5 sacks, seven forced fumbles and four interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown.
He had been listed as a second-string safety on the Cardinals’ official depth chart this preseason.
“The situation presented itself this morning,” Ossenfort said. “Just where we are in camp and where we are as a team, we thought it was the right move to make for us to move forward as a team.”
Simmons is in the final season of his four-year rookie deal and counts $6.6 million against the salary cap. In May, Arizona declined his $12.7 million fifth-year option for 2024.
Jones, 26, was the Cardinals’ third-round pick in 2020 out of Houston. He appeared in 47 games over the past three seasons, making 21 starts, including nine starts while playing in all 17 games last season.
The Cardinals selected offensive tackle Paris Johnson out of Ohio State with the sixth overall pick in the most recent draft.
