![]() ![]() Outlook: Jawhar Jordan took over as the starter when Tiyon Evans was injured last season and looks likely to win the job in the fall. Newcomers: Isaac Guerendo (Wisconsin transfer) Thomas has three years remaining on his rookie contract and will probably remain with the team this season, though he is unlikely to see extended playing time once again.Returning: Jawhar Jordan, Maurice Turner, Grant Goodman, Mario Agyen His passer rating that season was an impressive 123.9. In his final season at Virginia Tech, Thomas passed for 2,907 yards and 16 touchdowns while rushing for 334 yards and four more scores. ![]() Though he is raw by NFL standards, he is a tall, athletic (ran a 4.61-second 40-yard dash at the 2014 scouting combine) and strong-armed project who could eventually develop into something special. Thomas is a guy whom the Cardinals are likely to keep around to develop for the future. Though Thomas has great size (6'6", 250 lbs) and intriguing attributes, he is an unfinished product and failed to see meaningful action as a rookie, even after Lindley struggled to hold down the starting job. ![]() The Cardinals selected Virginia Tech quarterback Logan Thomas in the fourth round of last year's draft. Stanton has one year remaining on his current contract and should be the No. However, Stanton is talented and experienced enough to give a team with Arizona's overall talent a chance to win if he is called upon. His career passer rating of 71.8 suggests as much. This isn't to suggest that Stanton is a starting-caliber quarterback who can challenge Palmer for the No. Had he not suffered a season-ending MCL sprain in late December, Arizona may well have made a much deeper postseason run. With Palmer injured, Stanton stepped in and went 5-3 as a starter (6-3 overall) for the Cardinals in 2014. He followed Arians to Arizona the following season and finally got an opportunity to prove his worth in 2014. Stanton spent four seasons as a backup in Detroit before joining Arians with the Indianapolis Colts in 2012. Unlike Palmer, however, Stanton never really garnered high expectations in the NFL, especially after knee surgery ended his rookie campaign before it even began. The Michigan State product was selected by the Detroit Lions in the second round (43rd overall) of the 2007 draft. Like Palmer, journeyman quarterback Drew Stanton entered the league as a relatively high draft pick. If Palmer can produce a full 16-game season, he should have little trouble surpassing the 4,000-yard mark once again, and the Cardinals should be playoff-bound. The Cardinals ranked just 23rd in pass protection last season, according to Pro Football Focus, and Palmer isn't an exceptionally mobile passer. The trick will be keeping Palmer upright and uninjured throughout the regular season. There is a reason he has lasted in the NFL for 12 seasons and has passed for more than 35,000 yards in that span. The 7-on-7, we blitz enough in that and we give him enough looks so he's getting prepared."Īs long as there are no injury setbacks, Palmer should be the unquestioned starter for Week 1. He does all the bootleg drills in warm ups so the rest of it he can handle. "I'm not afraid if he doesn't get out here as long as he's throwing 7-on-7," Arians recently said of Palmer, per Josh Weinfuss of. Palmer is, however, well enough to get in some time with his teammates early this offseason. He appeared in just six games a season ago and is still not back to 100 percent on the practice field. The downside with Palmer is that he is coming off an injury-plagued season that included the second major knee injury of his career. Though Palmer is entering the twilight of his career at 35 years old, he appears to have enough left in the tank to get Arizona over the hump and into legitimate contention. These are all reasons why the Cardinals agreed to give Palmer a new three-year, $49.5 million extension in 2014. In his Arizona career, Palmer has a combined 16-6 win-loss record. ![]() Palmer has proven that he still has the vision, patience and arm strength to perform as a top-level quarterback, especially in Arians' system. In his first season in Arizona, Palmer threw for 4,274 yards and 24 touchdowns while helping the Cardinals achieve a 10-6 record. After eight years, two opening-round playoff losses and a severe ACL tear, however, Palmer was replaced by quarterback Andy Dalton and shipped to the Oakland Raiders for a pair of draft picks.Īfter two mostly forgotten seasons in Oakland, Palmer was traded to the Cardinals, where he experienced a bit of a resurgence under head coach Bruce Arians. ![]()
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