NFL Rumors: Cardinals open to trading up in Draft for the right QB
By Joe Romano
The Arizona Cardinals are in a bad spot as it stands entering the 2018 offseason. The draft and free agency will be extremely important for this team.
When quarterback Carson Palmer went down with an injury early in 2017, the Arizona Cardinals turned to their backup plan of Blaine Gabbert and Drew Stanton. The trio combined to lead the team to a surprising 8-8 record.
Palmer had been the team’s starting quarterback for the past five seasons, with some mixed results. The former number one pick announced he will be retiring from the NFL this offseason. This leaves a massive hole at quarterback for this Arizona team.
On top of Palmer’s retirement, head coach Bruce Arians also announced he will not return and decided to retire. The team hired former Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks to take over for Arians. In an appearance at this week’s NFL Combine in Indianapolis, Wilks discussed the team’s plan to address the quarterback position. Trevor Sikkema of Pewter Report summed up the discussion.
#Cardinals HC Steve Wilks said his team is going to be “aggressive” in getting a quarterback. Said when FA begins, they’re going to go after the best one. If they miss, they’ll stay aggressive in the draft – mentions perhaps trading up.
— Trevor Sikkema (@TampaBayTre) February 28, 2018
The first domino in finding a quarterback will fall in free agency. Kirk Cousins is likely the quarterback Wilks is describing when he mentions the “best one”. Contingency plans for this team could include players like Case Keenum, A.J. McCarron, Teddy Bridgewater or Sam Bradford. All four of those players are free agents.
Should the team strike out in free agency, which is a possibility given they are projected to only have $21 million to spend, they will turn to the draft. Arizona currently holds the 15th pick in the first round. If they want to grab one of the four top quarterback prospects, they will need to package some picks to move up. This is a similar strategy to what the Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs did a year ago for their quarterback.
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With Larry Fitzgerald back for another season, whoever is under center will have a go-to target. Couple that with the return of star running back David Johnson and the quarterback will have weapons at his disposal. It is time for Arizona to move the chips to the center and find their guy of the future, one way or another.