Raising Zona
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Draft may not produce Arizona Cardinals’ next quarterback

By Jim Koch

IOWA CITY, IOWA- SEPTEMBER 2: Quarterback Josh Allen IOWA CITY, IOWA- SEPTEMBER 2: Quarterback Josh Allen #17 of the Wyoming Cowboys warms up before the match-up against the Iowa Hawkeyes, on September 2, 2017 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images)
IOWA CITY, IOWA- SEPTEMBER 2: Quarterback Josh Allen IOWA CITY, IOWA- SEPTEMBER 2: Quarterback Josh Allen #17 of the Wyoming Cowboys warms up before the match-up against the Iowa Hawkeyes, on September 2, 2017 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images) /
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The Arizona Cardinals would be smart to explore any and all options when it comes to finding their next signal-caller

It was only a matter of time before the Arizona Cardinals’ Carson Palmer called it quits. The club’s starting quarterback of the past five seasons had considered hanging up his cleats last year, but ultimately decided against it. Now that he has, the Cards have been left in somewhat of a pickle, so to speak.

So which avenue does general manager Steve Keim go down to acquire Arizona’s next signal-caller? Free agency, a trade or the NFL Draft are all options for achieving that task. But waiting until the draft to fill the most important position on the squad may be taking a huge gamble.

There’s a perplexing dilemma that a number of NFL teams face each and every season. A question arises about whether tanking (losing games on purpose) should be considered. Once your club has been mathematically-eliminated from the playoff race, do victories actually hurt a franchise more than they help it?

The Cardinals currently hold the 15th-overall pick in April’s draft. The organization would’ve had a higher pick had they not won three of their last four contests. As gratifying as it was to emerge victorious in those matchups at the time, fans realize afterwards that there are negatives associated with those triumphs.

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There are five or six quarterbacks projected to be selected in the first-round of the draft. Names like Josh Rosen, Sam Darnold, Baker Mayfield, Josh Allen, Mason Rudolph and Lamar Jackson have been mentioned the most. There are questions about whether Jackson will translate to the NFL however, red flags that may drop him from first-round consideration.

The Cleveland Browns, New York Giants, Denver Broncos and New York Jets all have needs at quarterback. And a couple of other teams, the Cincinnati Bengals and Washington Redskins, may as well. All six will be selecting ahead of the Cards in April’s draft.

So there’s the conundrum. Will there be a passer still available at #15 that Arizona feels can lead them into the future? Possibly not, so placing all of their eggs into the basket of the draft could be a mistake.

There’s no putting off the acquisition of a quarterback anymore. Finding Palmer’s replacement has reached the necessity stage. Hopefully, Keim is preparing for the search.

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