Cardinals Potential Free Agent Target: Sam Bradford

The Arizona Cardinals are in need of a quarterback and there will be some big names hitting the open market in free agency. The team is expected to make major changes to their current roster and in doing so will clear some much needed cap space.

Let’s take a look at Minnesota Vikings Quarterback Sam Bradford:

Bradford, 31, has a career record of 34-45-1 as a starting quarterback. The Philadelphia Eagles traded him to the Minnesota Vikings in 2016. That season, he went on to set the single-season completion percentage record (71.6) and set a career high in passing yards (3,877) and passer rating (99.3). Although he finished the season with a 7-9 record, keep in mind he was playing behind one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL.

In the first game of the 2017 season, he completed almost 85 percent of his passes for 346 passing yards and three touchdowns against the Saints. Unfortunately for him, he suffered a knee injury that seemed to be career-ending. He returned in week 5 but struggled in his return due to his health. He was taken out of the game and proceeded to sit the remainder of the season.

Bradford has been one of the most accurate quarterbacks in NFL the past three seasons when healthy. With his injuries and lack of playoff experience, he is likely to accept a cap friendly deal on a new team.

He needs to show NFL teams that he can be healthy for at least an entire season, which means Steve Keim’s signature one-year prove-it deals could be in the works.

Even though he has the talent and experience, health will be the primary concern when taking him into consideration. His lack of mobility and ineffectiveness in week 5 against the Bears is something to keep in mind. He suffered a severe ankle injury in 2011 and missed the entire 2014 season with a torn ACL.

He was healthy enough to be activated as the backup quarterback in the NFC Divisional game.

Does that mean he is fully recovered? Is he healthy enough to be an effective quarterback again? What quarterback will teams be getting if they acquire his services?

When healthy, he can sling the ball with the best of quarterbacks. His NFL career has been riddled with injuries and even with a cap friendly deal, the Cardinals would be taking a big risk.

Carson Palmer and Drew Stanton have gone down with injuries this past season. If the Cardinals want to have a successful 2018 season, the offensive line needs to stay healthy and be upgraded. This could scare a lot of the quarterback candidates away and so the team needs to make major changes as soon as they can.