Arizona Cardinals Free Agency: Should Richard Bartel Be Retained?

Yesterday, we finished up the unrestricted portion of our free agency series by asking you, the voters, whether or no Dave Zastudil should be re-signed as the punter for the Arizona Cardinals. 54% of you said no, mainly due to age, injury and lack of net punting distance concerns. Zastudil could definitely return to the Cardinals in 2012, but I think it really depends on price and whether or not Arizona can get a young talent in or after the draft.

Now onto our first restricted player. Technically, quarterback Richard Bartel is listed as an exclusive rights (ER), which means that if an offer is tendered to him by the team, he will be forced to accept it. In essence, Bartel has no chance of going anywhere if the Cardinals wish to keep him. But should they? Let's find out after the jump.

Bartel was listed as the third quarterback on the depth chart in 2011 behind newcomer Kevin Kolb and sophomore John Skelton. He only took 29 snaps under center during the regular season, most of them coming after Skelton put on a terrible performance against the San Francisco 49ers in week 11.

The preseason is when Bartel saw most of his time on the field and he looked very competent as a third stringer. Although the preseason is not a great litmus test for any player, he still was able to play well in that time span, passing for 5 touchdowns and a 69% completion rate.

As aforementioned, Bartel is an exclusive rights free agent, so if the Cards want to keep him around, then that is exactly what they will do. According to Spotrac.com, Bartel made a total of $480,000 in 2011. In his new contract, Bartel will make more money, but it still won't be a figure that is going to break the bank. He showed flashes of playing well and already knows the team's offense, so for that, I think he should definitely be re-signed.

What do you think? Is Richard Bartel a quarterback worth keeping around? Tell us in the comments section below and leave your vote in the poll.

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