Schefter talks Cards offseason options

ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter joined Sports 620 KTAR’s Gambo and Ash Friday to discuss the Cardinals defensive coordinator and quarterback search this offseason.

Schefter said he believes Miami Dolphins assistant head coach and secondary coach Todd Bowles is a good option for the defensive coordinator position. He also said Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt may wait until after the Super Bowl to make a hire so that he can interview coaches from the Pittsburgh Steelers organization.

“I think that Bowles had a good interview. [The Cardinals] wouldn’t have a problem going that direction,” Schefter said. “I think they still want to see what is going to happen with some of the Steelers guys, be it Keith Butler or Ray Horton or even Dick Lebeau who dismissed the idea of coaching somewhere else.

“I think there is still something there that might have to be explored before the Cardinals make a decision to go with someone like Todd Bowles. That’s my sense of things.”

Bowles was said to have impressed in an interview last week and has connections to the Cardinals organization. He coached with Whisenhunt when they were with the New York Jets and he played with offensive line coach Russ Grimm with the Washington Redskins in the 1980s.

Schefter also said the Cardinals must address the quarterback position after underwhelming play from Derek Anderson, Max Hall and John Skelton this season.

Mentioning Matt Hasselbeck, Carson Palmer, Kevin Kolb, Kyle Orton and Marc Bulger as options, Schefter said the Cardinals need to do something.

“They’ve got to come away with one of those guys, period, that’s it,” Schefter said.

The Cardinals were rumored to be interested in Bulger last offseason, but ultimately went to camp with Matt Leinart, Anderson, Hall and Skelton. Bulger wound up signing with the Baltimore Ravens, backing up Joe Flacco and ending the season without throwing a pass.

Schefter said the Cardinals could sign Bulger as a short-term or bridge solution while drafting a quarterback in the first round, allowing a rookie such as Missouri’s Blaine Gabbert to learn as a backup for a year or two.

“But is Blaine Gabbert going to be ready to step in and play next season and lead this team where it wants to go next season or are you willing to go sign a guy like Bulger,” Schefter asked. “The interesting part here is it’s going to be a different deal now this offseason.”

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