ForTheWin: Cardinals QB situation isn’t so bad after busy summer
May 5, 2018, 1:36 PM | Updated: May 6, 2018, 8:52 am
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Sam Bradford (9) hands the ball off to running back David Johnson (31) as players run drills during a voluntary team activity Thursday, April 19, 2018, at the NFL football team's training facility in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Out were Carson Palmer, Drew Stanton and Blaine Gabbert.
In came Sam Bradford, Mike Glennon and Josh Rosen.
Once Palmer retired to follow the 2017 season, the Arizona Cardinals knew they needed to replace the entire quarterback room. Through free agency and the NFL Draft, they’ve re-stocked the position into respectability.
General manager Steve Keim’s work didn’t go unnoticed. ForTheWin’s Steven Ruiz ranked the Cardinals’ quarterback situation the 10th-best in the NFL.
We might be underrating the Cardinals. Sam Bradford is a good quarterback when healthy. Josh Rosen gives them hope for the future. Mike Glennon isn’t a starter but might be the best QB3 in the league.
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Ruiz’s rankings consider the talent of the current starter and the backup options. They also take into account the future outlook.
Arizona ticks all those boxes, even if Bradford’s injury history may cause some pause.
Bradford is two years removed from his best NFL season in which he played 15 games for the Minnesota Vikings and completed a league-best 71.6 percent of his passes for 3,877 yards, 20 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
Though his knee issues that zapped all but two games last year could be a concern, it’s not wild to believe that Glennon, who early in his career had success with Tampa Bay, and Rosen, Arizona’s first-round draft pick, could compete for the backup spot.
Rosen is obviously the quarterback of the future, and his talent level is unquestioned — his personality and on-field hardiness remain concerns.
Ruiz’s list is led by the Green Bay Packers, who behind star Aaron Rodgers just acquired young signal-caller DeShone Kizer after his rookie year with the Cleveland Browns. At the bottom are the Denver Broncos, who behind recently-signed starter Case Keenum will be relying on Paxton Lynch and Chad Kelly.
