Blaine Gabbert
The obvious choice to take over if Stanton fails is Gabbert. There does seem to be some reluctance from Arians to use him.
You have to remember what Gabbert saw in the preseason was vanilla defenses. He was also given a vanilla offense to work with as well.
There is a reason why Gabbert has moved around from the Jacksonville Jaguars to the San Francisco 49ers now to the Cardinals. There is concern he is just not NFL starter material.
Of course we think the same of Stanton, but Stanton, whether he proves it consistently on the field or not, does have a better grasp of the playbook. He’s already been here for four years. Experience does matter.
Gabbert will be the backup to Stanton for now. Don’t expect to see him against the 49ers unless something really goes south or Stanton gets injured.
One mistake, two mistakes, maybe even three will likely not get Arians to replace Stanton in what should be a close game. Its the following game against the Seattle Seahawks where the patience could grow thin.