The Arizona Cardinals are planning to leave no stone unturned in 2018 NFL free agency or the NFL Draft to find a quarterback, which is the smart decision.
The 2018 offseason signals a period of transition for the Arizona Cardinals in a number of ways. On the sidelines, Bruce Arians has retired and Steve Wilks has made his way as the new head coach in the desert. In terms of on the field, though, the transition largely zooms in on the quarterback position.
With the retirement of Carson Palmer, the Cardinals’ quarterback situation is simple in the worst way: They don’t have one. Palmer has gone into the post-career days of his life, while Blaine Gabbert and Drew Stanton will enter free agency this offseason. Thus, they are left to find the answers this offseason.
Speaking to the media on Wednesday, though, Wilks addressed the lack of quarterbacks on the roster. Not only did he provide the obvious in saying that they will fill the need, but the new head coach also assured everyone that the front office would be aggressive in doing so as it pertains to both free agency and the 2018 NFL Draft:
#Cardinals HC Steve Wilks said his team is going to be “aggressive” in getting a quarterback. Said when FA begins, they’re going to go after the best one. If they miss, they’ll stay aggressive in the draft – mentions perhaps trading up.
— Trevor Sikkema (@TampaBayTre) February 28, 2018
Considering that the Cardinals aren’t rife with cap space and don’t have many clear options to cut a lot of money from the books, free agency might not be a prudent option for Arizona to land a top-tier quarterback. Subsequently, the mention of potentially trading up in the draft becomes highly intriguing.
Arizona is currently slated to pick 15th in the first round of the 2018 draft. Considering the quarterback feeding frenzy many expect to ensue in the top 10, they won’t be getting “their guy” at that position. More likely than not, trading up would be the only way to ensure that would happen.
In reality, that might be the prudent decision as well. The Cardinals played much of last season without Palmer and still finished 8-8. That campaign also came without David Johnson, their star running back who was injured in Week 1. Subsequently, they have the overall talent — especially with Johnson returning — to make serious noise in the NFC West. But to do so, they have to find stability at quarterback.
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Given the way that the pieces are set in Arizona, that’s when you want to trade up for a quarterback in the first round. That’s when a franchise needs to get “their guy” and not settle for who falls to them. As such, Wilks’ assertion that the organization will be aggressive is not only likely true, but it’s the smartest modus operandi for the team this offseason.