Breaking down the QB situation
Cardinals insider Bob McManaman breaks down the team’s position groups on a daily basis heading into training camp, which begins with the first fullsquad workout on Saturday. Today: Quarterbacks.
It almost feels like anything being said or written about the Cardinals’ quarterback situation in 2018 should be automatically prefaced with that tiny little word “if.”
As in:
If the season started today, Sam Bradford would
be the starter. But you can’t just leave it like that because you have to add the obligatory if Bradford stays healthy. If he gets injured or something else happens to his balky left knee, that could open the door for rookie first-round draft pick Josh Rosen.
But that’s only if Rosen manages to leapfrog the other quarterback ahead of him in veteran Mike Glennon, who has made 22 NFL starts. But what if Bradford doesn’t get hurt? What if Rosen actually were to outplay him in training camp and the preseason?
If that happens, would new coach Steve Wilks, General Manager Steve Keim and President Michael Bidwill be willing to actually sit the guy they’re paying $15 million to this season – Bradford – and start the kid QB?
“I think he’ll beat out Sam Bradford in training camp. I really do,” NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah predicted earlier this summer.
Steve Wyche, another NFL Network analyst, basically said the same thing, although he added a snarky, archaic metaphor to exemplify his point when he said, “I’m fully expecting Josh Rosen to win this job and I’m fully expecting the guy who has been the D.B. Cooper of fantastic contracts to be holding the clipboard on the sideline.”
The Cooper reference has to do with an unidentified man who in 1971, hijacked a Boeing 727 between Portland and Seattle and parachuted to an uncertain fate with $200,000 in cash. Bradford, meanwhile, was the NFL’s last bonus baby in terms of receiving a mega first-year deal before the league went to structured rookie contracts across the board.
It’s not like Bradford hijacked the Rams back in 2010 when he went first overall in the draft. They gave him a sixyear, $78 million deal with $50 million in guarantees. With a potential maximum value of $86 million overall, it made it the largest contract ever for an NFL rookie.
But he’s missed a grand total of 48 games and only twice in his first eight NFL seasons has he played a full 16game regular season. During that time, he’s thrown for 20 or more touchdowns just twice and he’s never thrown more than 21 in any season to date.
When he’s healthy and surrounded by decent talent, however, Bradford is a quality starting quarterback. He’s known for his accuracy and high completion percentage. His medium-range passes are usually on point and arrive at their target with a tight spiral. He’s calm and in control while in the pocket, he doesn’t take silly risks, and he’s a very likable teammate.
Add it all up and it’s no wonder Wilks has anointed him the Cardinals’ starter entering camp. The key, of course, is how his knee responds and how much will he be allowed to do in practices and drills. Bradford twice has underwent surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament and he’s had his knee scoped and cleaned out on multiple occasions.
The Cardinals slow-walked him through offseason workouts until their final three-day minicamp, when Bradford finally was a full participant. He looked capable and crisp and even shed the knee brace he had been wearing earlier in the spring.
But how will it feel the first time he gets hit? Bradford’s last coach, Mike Zimmer of the Vikings, referred to the quarterback’s knee as “degenerative,” meaning we might not have to wait until the start of preseason games to see some sort of a calamity. Bradford could step funny and it could be a costly injury to everyone.
That’s why it was smart to get Rosen, the 10th overall pick in the draft out of UCLA, up to speed as quickly as possible. As Bradford eased his way into things during OTAs, Rosen was thrust into a ton of reps with the firstteam offense. For the most part, he responded just as the Cardinals had hoped – with extreme poise, confidence and command.
Asked if it would be a long shot for Rosen to push Bradford for the starting job, Wilks raised some eye brows when he said, “No. No, it’s not.”
“I talked about it from Day 1 – the best 11 are going to play,” he said. “Sam is the starter and when he’s healthy, he’s great. But everybody is competing to be out there on the field. Competition is a great thing. It makes us all better.”
Everyone will get their turn and their time during the preseason, including Glennon, a six-year pro now on his third team, and Chad Kanoff, the team’s undrafted rookie free agent out of Princeton. As for who eventually starts, who becomes the backup and who is earmarked for third-string duties, well, it’s all a matter of “if.”
Reach McManaman at bob.mcmanaman@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on Twitter @azbobbymac and listen to him live every Tuesday afternoon between 3-6 on 1580-AM The Fanatic with Roc and Manuch and every Wednesday afternoon between 1-3 on Fox Sports 910-AM on The Freaks with Kenny and Crash.