The Arizona Cardinals had a huge comeback against the Dallas Cowboys this past weekend. The Cowboys had dominated for almost three quarters, yet Arizona took them to overtime and posted a 33-30 victory.
Starting quarterback Jacoby Brissett was benched late in the third quarter, then was traded two days later.
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The offense under Brissett was stagnant and could not score, including several trips into the Red Zone. His backup, veteran Gardner Minshew, came into the contest
with just 1:35 left in Quarter 3, down by a score of 17-3. Everything was going Dallas’ way, and the folks in attendance began to feel that the game was in the bag.
Down 30-24, Minshew orchestrated an eight-play drive with only 1:09 left in the game, which culminated in a 13-yard touchdown catch by WR Michael Wilson. After the missed PAT, the game went into overtime, where, once again, Minshew led Arizona on an eight-play drive that began at the Cardinals’ 32-yard line. He drove the offense to the 24-yard line as K Chad Ryland booted a 42-yard game-winning field goal.
On Monday, Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur announced that Minshew would be the starter the following game against division foe Seattle Seahawks. It was also announced that rookie QB Carson Beck would become the backup. Two days later, Brissett was traded to the Baltimore Ravens.
Wow. What a whirlwind with the quarterback room, as well as the offense.
Minshew made all the difference when he entered the game. On just his second play, RB Tyler Allgeier took it to the house. The offensive possessions while Brissett was under center: punt, downs, INT, punt, FG, fumble, punt, and 130 total yards. The offense after Minshew entered the game: TD, TD, TD, TD, punt, FG, with 437 offensive yards for the game.
This is quite understandable for LaFleur to name Minshew the starting QB. But LaFleur did not state that this decision would be for the remainder of the year. At first. Now that Brissett has been shipped off, that is apparent.
Which could be a huge gamble for Arizona. What if Minshew’s performance and the offense’s reaction to his presence were just a one-off? Can Minshew repeat such a performance? It’s a well-known fact that everybody on every bad team’s favorite player is the backup quarterback.
Where does that leave the Cardinals?
Well, for one, they are one quarterback shy.
Not every NFL club, but most keep three signalcallers on their active roster. The NFL is a violent occupation, and even though the league has adopted a ton of rules to protect the quarterback from being mutilated each game. But guys get hurt, and sometimes their backup becomes injured as well.
With Brissett gone, this means the offense is one short in the QB room. It is assumed that the coaching staff will address this and sign a new guy to become QB3. But who?
For starters, should the new guy compete with Beck for the backup position? The short answer is no. The coaching staff has raved about his preparation and feels his development has escalated to the point where they are confident if he was to be inserted into a game.
Coach LaFleur mentioned Beck during a post-practice press conference:
“Obviously, it’s just behind the scenes, nothing you guys see, but I know he’s prepared to go in there if need be. He’s prepared to be the starting quarterback. I know he has a full grasp of this game plan, of this system.”
The initial reaction would be to get Kedon Slovis back. After all, he was with the Cardinals all of last year, had a great training camp and looked very good in preseason, then was waived on the final cutdown. This means he was shown and taught LaFleur’s new offense. However, he was snatched off waivers by the Green Bay Packers, who signed him to their practice squad. On November 3, the Ravens claimed him, so Arizona is a few days short.
Currently, there are eight free agent quarterbacks unsigned. Let’s take a look at the best options from that list:
- Jake Browning, age 30 (6’-2”, 209 pounds)
Browning went undrafted in 2019 after a good career at Washington. He signed with the Minnesota Vikings, but had several good seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals when QB Joe Burrow was injured. In three seasons, he played in 17 games with 10 starts and a 68.5% completion rate. He has thrown for 2,707 yards on 252 completions with 368 attempts.
- Nick Mullens, age 31 (6’-0”, 210 pounds)
Mullens has been a career backup since going undrafted in 2017. He has played for six NFL clubs. He is currently on the Jacksonville Jaguars practice squad. He has played in 39 NFL games with 20 starts. He has thrown 808 passes with 533 completions for 6,448 yards, 34 TDs against 31 picks, with a 66.0% completion rate.
- Kyle Trask, age 28 (6’-5”, 236 pounds)
Trask was a college star while at Florida. In 2020, he was the NCAA passing touchdowns leader. He was a second-round selection of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He is currently on the practice squad of the Cowboys.
- Jimmy Garopollo, age 35 (6’-2”, 226 pounds)
Jimmy G was selected in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots. It was thought he would eventually supplant QB Tom Brady, but he was traded away instead. He has played 12 years for four different NFL clubs. The Cardinals attempted to sign him during this offseason to become Jacoby Brissett’s backup, but Jimmy G required the opportunity to compete for the starting job, and Arizona signed Gardner Minshew instead. His stats: 85 games played, 64 starts, 1,304 completions on 1,936 attempts for 15,828 yards, 786 first-down conversions, 96 touchdowns, 52 interceptions, sacked 140 times, and a career 67.4% completion rate. While still considered a good quarterback, he may – or may not – fit the role of QB3.
