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With Bruce Arians now installed as the head coach and his staff mostly intact, difficult decisions loom on the horizon. The most perplexing one undoubtedly deals with the quarterback position. Will the Cardinals ask Kevin Kolb to restructure? If he doesn't, what will they do with him? Which backups will they keep on the roster?
Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports thinks that if the Cardinals do decide to part ways with Kolb, he will be one of the better free agent quarterbacks available. He also sees Brian Hoyer, currently the fourth QB on the depth chart in Arizona, as a top tier free agent, should he be cut. La Canfora puts as the fourth best QB possibility, followed by Kolb at five.
Of all four quarterbacks currently under contract with the Cardinals, Hoyer and Kolb are the two that are least likely to go. We did not see much from Hoyer in just one start, but it seems that he might have more potential than John Skelton or Ryan Lindley. With Kolb, the prevailing thought is that he will agree to have his contract restructured, keeping him as the starter with the Cardinals.
If both Hoyer and Kolb are cut, both will undoubtedly land somewhere else. The biggest issue I have with La Canfora's analysis is that Hoyer somehow ranks ahead of Kolb. This could be due to the bevy of injuries Kolb has had throughout his career, but he definitely still shows more promise than Hoyer, in my opinion. I have to question how Hoyer has made it to fourth on the list after he was just released by the Steelers a few weeks ago. Did his game against the 49ers boost his stock that much?
There are also a lot of what ifs with his QB list. Each of the five quarterbacks could stay with their current teams. The only one that is technically a free agent is Joe Flacco, but we all know he isn't going anywhere.
So to me, this list is somewhat moot. I believe both Kolb and Hoyer will at least be on the roster come training camp and possibly into the regular season.
When all is said and done, if Kolb is released, he might even be the best QB available and could be overpaid if he becomes a free agent.
What do you think, Cards fans? Do you agree with the rankings? Will either Kolb or Hoyer be on the roster next season? Both? Tell us in the comments section below.
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