With the exception of first-overall draft pick Kyler Murray, the Arizona Cardinals quarterback room is lacking in quality
An incredible responsibility is being placed upon the Arizona Cardinals offensive line this season. This year more than ever, keeping the starting signal-caller healthy and on the playing field is a must. A severe lack of quality depth in the Cardinals quarterback room is to blame for the squad’s dire situation.
There’s a ton of optimism surrounding Kyler Murray, who was selected by Arizona with the NFL Draft’s first-overall pick. However, general manager Steve Keim has done a terrible job of filling the club’s roster with capable backups for their young star. It’s so bad, in fact, that any playoff hopes that the Cardinals may have would likely be crushed if Murray was to miss any amount of time.
At the present moment, the Cardinals top replacement for Murray is the mediocre Brett Hundley. The Arizona native, a former Green Bay Packer and Seattle Seahawk, signed a one-year deal as an unrestricted free agent this past March. Hundley does have starting experience on his resume, but was far from impressive during those appearances.
Hundley made nine starts for the Packers in 2017, but came out on the losing end in six of them. The franchise’s former fifth-round choice, filling in for an injured Aaron Rodgers, completed 60.8% of his throws and accumulated 1,836 passing yards. Hundley accounted for 11 total touchdowns (two rushing), but tossed 12 interceptions and also fumbled four times.
If you’re finding it tough to get excited about Hundley, the candidates behind him are even more questionable. Charles “Chad” Kanoff, who signed as an undrafted free agent in 2018, spent most of his rookie campaign on the Cardinals’ practice squad. The Princeton University product has good size (6’4, 219) and a strong arm, but is a complete unknown at this point of his young career.
The fourth and final quarterback is Drew Anderson, an undrafted rookie who was inked to a one-year contract back in late April. As Kanoff did last season, the Murray State University gunslinger is most likely destined for nothing more than the Cards’ practice squad this fall.
Arizona can help themselves out of the predicament by acquiring a certain veteran from the Washington Redskins. Case Keenum may no longer be needed in the nation’s capital, now that head coach Jay Gruden has rookie Dwayne Haskins and leftover Colt McCoy to work with. Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury is familiar with Keenum from their college days, so offering Washington a late-round pick for the passer could be a smart move.
If the Cards truly believe that the postseason is a possibility, adding a better insurance policy for Murray would make sense. Hundley seems like a good locker room presence, but the organization could do better. Perhaps an effort to improve the depth at quarterback could be made sometime before the league’s opening weekend.