The Arizona Cardinals signed former University of Alabama quarterback Jake Coker to an undrafted free agent contract
We always knew the Arizona Cardinals would bring someone in to challenge current third quarterback on the depth chart, Matt Barkley. The bigger question though was who was it going to be? Was it going to be a draft pick, an undrafted free agent, or even a veteran free agent?
Last Saturday afternoon, that question was answered minutes after the 2016 NFL Draft ended. They called up former University of Alabama quarterback Jake Coker. Coker isn’t coming here to be the token fourth quarterback, something you see a lot in NFL training camps.
Coker could win that third spot. It will take work though but if someone knows about working hard and winning, it’s Coker, who helped the Crimson Tide to a championship right here in Glendale at the University of Phoenix Stadium, a place he hopes to be spending his Sunday’s for awhile.
Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians echoed that sentiment for the most part. He said Sunday that Coker is in a better place than last year’s former Tide quarterback in Camp, Phillip Sims, was. Coker has a real shot of winning the third spot.
While Coker isn’t ready to start an NFL game, this is something Cardinals fans should be happy to hear. Could the Cardinals have found their future quarterback outside the draft? At this point, who knows? It will be at least two more years before we get to see. Coker last season for Alabama went 14-0 as a starter. He completed 263-393 passes for 3,110 yards with 21 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
For now though, if Coker can pick up the Cardinals offense rather quickly, then he could easily supplant Barkley. Barkley was traded for a seventh-round pick in this year’s draft. They haven’t given up on him yet by any stretch but bringing a guy in like Coker shows the Cardinals aren’t willing to call Barkley their quarterback of the future yet.