Breaking Down the Arizona Cardinals Roster: QB’s

Aug. 24, 2013; Glendale, AZ, USA: Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer (3) throws a pass in the second quarter against the San Diego Chargers during a preseason game at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

We all know what a disaster the quarterback position was in 2012 for the Arizona Cardinals.  Any changes in 2013 would be welcome change as far as most were concerned.  Since it was not a good year to draft a top quarterback, the Cards went out and did the next best thing, got a couple of the better available quarterbacks on the market.

Quarterbacks: Carson Palmer, Drew Stanton, Ryan Lindley

Although Palmer was not on the free-agent market, it was widely known that the Oakland Raiders were trying to rid themselves of Palmer, given his salary and the fact the Raiders were getting Matt Flynn.  Palmer, in his 11th season out of USC, was originally thought to be a lifer in Cincinnati.  However he fell out of favor with ownership and he practically begged to be traded.  He was but he was traded to Oakland and his time there was short.

Palmer isn’t Kurt Warner.  I think we can all agree on that.  However he also isn’t Kevin Kolb or John Skelton either.  He is much closer to a Warner than a Kolb or Skelton.  Can Palmer revive his career like Warner?  Maybe, maybe not.  Palmer has yet to win a playoff game.  Warner had already won a Super Bowl before coming to Arizona.  Palmer though certainly has the reputation of being able to sling the ball and throw it far and accurate.  He will throw interceptions from time to time.  That much is a given.  However I expect he will also find the end zone many more times than the Cards did as a whole last season.

As for Stanton, he was originally brought in to be the starter, then Palmer became available.  Stanton proved in the preseason he is more than capable of running the offense if need be.  Is he as good as Palmer?  No.  However I’d be much more comfortable with Stanton than Skelton coming in off the bench, hands down.

Lindley, who was part of the three-headed experiment last season, looked much better in the preseason this year than he did in the regular season last year.  Of course, the competition was a little different.  Lindley has the arm, as he proved in Denver the other night.  Can he provide the accuracy needed on a consistent basis though?  That jury is still out.  His performance after Denver probably saved his job, for now.  However if there is a position the Cards end up really hurting at and need bodies, I would not be at all surprised to see the Cards part with Lindley, although personally I prefer to always have three quarterbacks on the roster at all times.