Arians: No viable quarterback options for Cardinals in NFL Draft

The weeks leading up to the NFL Draft are notorious for the misinformation that flows from team executives and coaches. Every team wants to throw others off the scent and lead them to believe their needs and interests are different from what they really are.

That fact provides Cardinals GM Steve Keim and coach Bruce Arians with a unique opportunity as the draft approaches. 

"You tell the truth and everybody thinks you're lying," Arians quipped.

"Obviously, the top two guys are there," he said Wednesday. "Do I think there's anyone else that we would take to press Logan (Thomas)? I don't think we would in this draft. That's not saying we won't, but I like where he's at and the progress he's making."

The Cardinals quarterback pecking order is crystal clear. Assuming he returns in time from November knee surgery, Carson Palmer will be the starter. Drew Stanton, who said Monday he is fully healed from his own knee injury, is No. 2. Thomas is No. 3.

Palmer is under contract through 2017 after signing a three-year extension in November worth $50 million, with roughly $20 million guaranteed through 2015. That at least gives the Cardinals an option for the next three seasons.

On the other hand, Palmer is 35. His NFL window is short. Stanton, 30, performed well when Palmer went down, but his skill set still seems suited to that of a backup -- albeit one of the better backups in the game. 

If the Cardinals truly believe Thomas can be their quarterback of the future, there is no need for concern. But truth may not be Arians strong suit in this regard.

Thomas has only one year under his belt, making it difficult to judge him. He played Oct. 5 in Denver when both Palmer and Stanton were injured, completing 1 of 8 passes for an 81-yard touchdown. He attempted one pass in the team's final home game of the season on Dec. 21 against Seattle. That's not a large enough body of work to assess his capabilities, but Thomas' ability to read defenses and his accuracy are questions that have dogged him since the Cardinals drafted him.

More than a few analysts have wondered if he's nothing more than a big-armed quarterback with the ability to run.

It was telling that when Palmer and Stanton were hurt late in the season, the Cardinals turned to Ryan Lindley (who was cut in training camp) instead of Thomas for the team's playoff push and playoff game vs. Carolina, but Arians had a logical explanation for that decision.

"We drafted him for two years from now, not November," Arians said at the recent NFL owners meetings. "It just so happened his number got called in November. I was not going to let him fail, because once you fail those scars never go away. 

"It's very hard to get the guys back in the locker room if you cost them the playoffs. I just wasn't going to put him in that situation. Right or wrong, it just was my decision."

Arians has said multiple times that he believes a team must continually develop and improve the quarterback position through the draft. Maybe those opportunities truly don't exist in this year's draft. Most draft analysts see limited value beyond the top two players, although there are indications the Cardinals and others like UCLA quarterback and Chandler High product Brett Hundley. If the Cardinals don't pick a quarterback this year, the pressure will be on Thomas this season to keep them from selecting one next year. At some point soon, Arizona must clearly identify its QB of the future.

"We'll still do our two-field practices, and on that field he'll get 90 percent of the reps," Arians said of Thomas. "He'll also be on Field 1, depending on how much Drew can go. He's going to get a ton of work, and those reps are invaluable. 

"Just decision-making, how fast you're getting it out of your hand, where you're going with it, where you're going when 1 and 2 are still covered. Are you still scrambling around or are you going to find your outlets? That growth process comes strictly from reps and in training camp he'll get a ton."

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