Arizona Cardinals promote Terry McDonough to VP of Player Personnel

Dec 22, 2013; Seattle, WA, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer (3) at the line of scrimmage during the game against the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field. Arizona defeated Seattle 17-10. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

With Jason Licht taking the job of Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager, the Cardinals chose to replace him with in-house candidate Terry McDonough, per Darren Urban of azcardinals.com

A longtime scout, McDonough’s role with the Cardinals is now essentially second-in-command in Arizona’s front office. For an organization that has made some excellent choices recently under G.M. Steve Keim that include the hiring of Bruce Areans as head coach and getting steals in the 2013 draft in Tyrann Mathieu and Andre Ellington, it made sense to reward McDonough as an in-house hire. McDonough had been the Eastern regional scout for the Cardinals, and before that he was a longtime employee for the Jaguars.

Perhaps the biggest front office decision the Cardinals will have to make is at quarterback. Carson Palmer played well in the second half of the 2013, but he was still up-and-down overall, and his high turnover rate is alarming. With an elite defense in place, an expensive QB who puts his D in short-field situations is not what any franchise wants.

With the 20th pick in the 2014 draft, snagging a QB prospect who might have fallen on the board is a possible move for the Cardinals. In any case, McDonough, Keim and the Cardinals will likely be going offense with their first round pick this year.