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Arizona Cardinals quarterback situation not bad at all

By Jim Koch

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - NOVEMBER 20: Sam Bradford #8 of the Minnesota Vikings drops back to pass the ball while being pursued by Markus Golden #44 of the Arizona Cardinals in the second half of the game on November 20, 2016 at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - NOVEMBER 20: Sam Bradford #8 of the Minnesota Vikings drops back to pass the ball while being pursued by Markus Golden #44 of the Arizona Cardinals in the second half of the game on November 20, 2016 at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
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It now appears as if the Arizona Cardinals’ front office may have had a plan in place for the quarterback position all along

You have to hand it to the Arizona Cardinals. Just a couple of months ago, the club had exactly zero quarterbacks under contract for the upcoming season. It’s difficult enough having to find one signal-caller during an offseason, let alone three.

After being eliminated from the Kirk Cousins sweepstakes back in March, general manager Steve Keim switched to plan B. The Cards’ consolation prize, Sam Bradford, was hardly critically acclaimed. The veteran always had tremendous ability, but his expansive injury history was hard to get past.

Bradford wasn’t the only veteran passer added to the roster during the free agency period. Mike Glennon, a former Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ draft pick, was coveted by the Cardinals in the past. At last, the 6’6″, 225 pounder was acquired, despite the fact that he was coming off of an unimpressive 2017 stint with the Chicago Bears.

Quite a few Arizona fans were disappointed with the two additions. Still, there was reason for optimism. There would be another opportunity for the Cards to add a franchise-caliber quarterback during April’s NFL Draft.

With that plan came some drawbacks, however. The 15th-overall pick was hardly an ideal spot in the first round for a team looking to draft a blue-chip signal-caller. The Cardinals would more than likely need to trade-up to make that hope come to fruition.

Keim pulled it off. A trade with the Oakland Raiders netted the organization the 10th-overall selection, enabling Arizona to make UCLA’s Josh Rosen their own. The other quarterback moves now appeared to make sense.

Bradford’s propensity for landing on the injured-reserve list is no longer a huge concern now that Rosen has come aboard. As a matter of fact it’s a perfect situation. Bradford can show the rookie the ins and outs of the league, acting as a mentor until Rosen is ready to take the reigns from the 30-year old.

Glennon could also assist with Rosen’s development. After all, how many squads have a third-stringer with 22 professional starts under his belt?

Next: Arizona Cardinals: 5 intriguing roster additions

Kudos to Keim and his cohorts. A quarterback situation that appeared so dire a couple of months ago has righted itself. Let the games begin.

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