Mark-J.-Rebilas-USA-TODAY-Sports
The Arizona Cardinals decided to completely overhaul their quarterback situation in 2013, a move that was long overdue. It hasn’t been pretty the last three seasons in the desert, as the Cardinals have gone 18-30. The departure of Kurt Warner clearly had a major impact on the franchise, but it looks like things are finally turning around.
With Kevin Kolb and John Skelton both wearing different uniforms this season, Arizona went out and traded for Carson Palmer and also signed free agent Drew Stanton to a three-year deal.
Stanton comes to the Cardinals after four years in Detroit, and most recently a stint with the Indianapolis Colts. Andrew Luck was the obvious choice for the Colts last year, and Stanton never made it to the field. In total, he hasn’t thrown a pass in two years.
Some had speculated that the Cardinals lured Stanton to Arizona on the promise of competing for the starting job, but it turned out that he was aware of their intentions to acquire Palmer. So as it stands today, there is no QB competition in the desert.
Stanton pencils in as the backup and should maintain that role throughout 2013. Things would have to get really bad before the Cardinals would consider a switch, because they’ve made it clear they think Palmer is the guy that’s going to lead them back to relevancy.
For now, Stanton is going to be a clipboard holder, but you can’t rule out the possibility of him getting a crack as the starter at some point during his three-year deal if Palmer can’t turn the team around.
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