Reserve quarterback could contribute to Arizona Cardinals

Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury could have some interesting plans for free agent acquisition Chris Streveler

Roughly four months ago, the Arizona Cardinals made an interesting addition to their roster. Chris Streveler, a quarterback who had been playing professional football in Canada, had signed a free agent contract with the Cards. It was an under the radar addition by the organization that could ultimately add a fascinating wrinkle to head coach Kliff Kingsbury’s offensive system.

The Cardinals acquisition of Streveler is reminiscent of something that was done by the New Orleans Saints back in 2017. Taysom Hill, a former undrafted free agent of the Green Bay Packers, had been released by that franchise on September 2nd of that year. The Saints brought Hill to town the very next day, and have since utilized the versatile signal-caller in a number of different ways.

Arizona got a close-up look at what Hill could do during a week eight defeat to New Orleans last season. A couple of minutes into the fourth quarter, the multifaceted player caught a five-yard touchdown pass from the great Drew Brees. The two passers teaming up for a score made for quite an intriguing play, and Cards general manager Steve Keim was obviously taken with what Saints head coach Sean Payton had concocted.

Could the Cardinals be thinking about a similar role for Streveler in the desert? Like Hill, the former starting quarterback for the CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers can do more than just throw the football. Kyler Murray is undoubtedly the undisputed leader of the Arizona offense, but Kingsbury could certainly come up with a special “package” of plays for the multi-talented Streveler.

Last fall, Streveler threw for 1,564 yards and eight touchdowns, and also added 726 yards and 12 scores on the ground for the Blue Bombers. The 6’1, 211 pounder appeared in 17 games (seven starts), and led Winnipeg to their first Grey Cup title in 29 years. In 2018, Streveler racked up 1,134 passing yards, 441 rushing yards and 21 total scores in 18 contests (five starts) for the CFL squad.

The coaches have to be licking their chops at the thought of utilizing a weapon like Streveler in the club’s “Air Raid” attack. Cards running back Kenyan Drake recently referred to Kingsbury as a “mad genius”. If that’s true, it will be exciting to see what kind of plays the offensive guru can come up with for the new toy he’s been given.