Reviewing Hudson Trade: Cardinals Still Emerge as Winners

"I've never experienced that with a center, alerting me that was coming, that was something he knew was coming that most guys wouldn't or couldn't see," Murray said following the game. "He's a big-time difference for me."

Fast-forward to present day, where Hudson and the rest of his teammates are merely bystanders on championship weekend. The Cardinals fell short of expectations despite making the playoffs. 

So, with the power of hindsight, let's review the trade for Hudson and determine whether or not the Cardinals made the right call. 

Reviewing the Rodney Hudson Trade

On March 17, ESPN's Adam Schefter broke news of a trade that sent Hudson packing his bags for the desert, with some draft picks in the 2021 NFL Draft involved. 

Arizona received: Rodney Hudson and 2021 seventh-round pick

Las Vegas received: 2021 third-round pick

First, we'll evaluate Hudson's performance. 

There's very little negative to find in Hudson's overall performance for the 2021 season. From his first snap in training camp, Hudson was able to elevate the overall play of the offense, paying dividends in both pass protection and run blocking. 

In his last five seasons spent with the Raiders, Hudson missed only one game in 2019 due to an ankle injury where he was carted off the previous game. 

Unfortunately, Hudson played in only 12 regular-season games this season after being placed on reserve/injured for three games due to a ribs injury prior to missing two more games down the stretch after landing on reserve/COVID-19. 

Still, Hudson's overall contributions to the team should make his spot concrete for the remaining two years of his deal. 

In nearly 800 snaps of football, Hudson allowed only one sack and one penalty according to PFF. The Cardinals will take that on every day that ends with a "y."

However, there's two sides to every coin, and we'll explore what the respective draft picks involved in the trade have done to this point: 

DE Malcolm Koonce 

Koonce, selected by the Raiders with Arizona's original third-round selection, played five games in 2021, totaling three tackles and two sacks on 48 snaps. 

Although Koonce was rarely used in 2021, his presence on the field appeared to be strong, providing an exciting building block for the Raiders moving forward. 

C Michal Menet

Menet, taken with Arizona's seventh-round pick acquired from the Raiders, bounced up and down from Arizona's practice squad before eventually signing with the Green Bay Packers practice squad on Jan. 25. 

Menet, while still early in his career, hasn't shown any value at this point. 

Conclusion

The trade for Hudson is one the Cardinals would absolutely do again, and nobody around the league would blame them. 

Hudson, despite being 32-years-old, looks to be a pivotal part of Arizona's offensive line for what might be the rest of his career. His play on the field and leadership in the locker room makes him invaluable, even after only playing in Arizona for one season.

Even if Koonce pans out to be a starting defensive end, the price tag for the Cardinals (especially considering their current roster that should be competing for a Super Bowl) was, and still is, a no-brainer.