ARIZONA – The Arizona Cardinals are in the market for a pass rusher as the league's trade deadline approaches.

It might be the NFC West's worst-kept secret right now. Arizona lost edge rushers like BJ Ojulari and Dennis Gardeck to season-ending injuries. Starting defenders Justin Jones and Bilal Nichols are also on injured reserve, while first-round pick Darius Robinson has not yet played.

Needless to say, Arizona's front seven was depleted in the first half of the season, a harsh reality for a group that already faced massive question marks about their production heading into the season.

Heading into Week 9, the Cardinals are near the bottom of the league in stats like sacks (15), pressure percentage (15.5%) and quarterback rush percentage (3.9%).

Help is needed, and the Cardinals haven't been shy about who they want to target ahead of the Nov. 5 deadline.

Reports from insiders across the league:

Mike Jones, The Athletic: “A high-level pass rusher can turn a good defense into a great defense, and teams with championship aspirations could look to make a move at the deadline to increase their chances of achieving their goals this postseason to reach. NFC front runner Detroit needs help in pass rushing with Aidan Hutchinson out this season due to injury. Atlanta, which leads the NFC South, also needs help at edge rusher Arizona, which remains in the thick of the NFC West's action, calls teams looking for pass-rushing help.

Diana Russini, The Athletic: “A surprise you already know: The Cardinals are atop the NFC West in November.” The team is actively calling to add some pieces. Arizona's biggest need is edge rushers, where they have been ravaged by injuries.

“The Giants (Azeez Ojulari) and Titans (Arden Key) have accepted calls from the Cardinals.”

Jeremy Fowler, ESPN: “Giants pass rusher Azeez Ojulari’s name has become hot in recent days. Teams that had him as a fringe option now believe he could be moved by Tuesday, especially if contenders in need of rushing help don't want to match up.” The Browns' asking price for a Za'Darius Smith trade is in a contract year, plays well (six sacks) and is likely the odd man out when Kayvon Thibodeaux returns. An interesting connection: The Cardinals could be 5-4 coming out of the weekend, have a big need at edge rusher, and Ojulari's brother BJ is a Cardinal, even though BJ is out for the season.

New York Giants OLB Azeez Ojulari has been a popular name in trade talks for some time now, although his price may have increased recently after securing five sacks in the last three weeks.

Ojulari is young and has shown promise on a 2-6 Giants roster — but would need a contract extension as he's set to hit free agency this offseason.

The Cardinals have the cap space and draft picks to make any trade they want happen — and they have a clear goal in mind.