Cardinals Quarterback Outlook: Who will be the primary backup to Kyler Murray?

The Arizona Cardinals have their franchise quarterback in Kyler Murray, who met all expectations as a rookie.

He quickly established himself in the NFL, joining Cam Newton as only the second quarterback in NFL history with 3,500-plus passing yards and 500-plus rushing yards in their rookie season. After an impressive record-breaking season in his first year in the NFL, Murray won NFL’s offensive rookie of the year award.

With the long-term starting quarterback in place, they must now figure out their backup quarterback options for the 2020 league year.

Brett Hundley will be an unrestricted free agent in March. He led the Cardinals to an impressive win over the Seahawks in a hostile environment at CenturyLink field, after Murray was sidelined with a hamstring injury.

His impending free agency status does add some uncertainty at the backup quarterback position. The other quarterbacks under contract for the team through the 2020 season are Drew Anderson and Chris Streveler.

Anderson (6-4 221lbs) was an undrafted free agent out of Murray State who initially joined the team in the offseason but was released during final cuts. After Kyle Sloter was signed off the Cardinals’ practice squad, the team re-signed Anderson to their practice squad and promoted him the active roster late December.

Streveler (6-1 216lbs) inked a futures deal with the Cardinals last Tuesday. The former CFL quarterback won the Grey Cup with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers this past season. The dual-threat signal caller finished with 1,564 passing yards, 726 rushing yards, and 20 total touchdowns on the year. He has been labeled as the next Taysom Hill.

Although both quarterbacks are inexpensive and have potential, neither have played in the regular season. Their lack of experience leaves the table open for the Cardinals to add to the position via free agency.

The Cardinals will likely explore the idea of re-signing Hundley. Case Keenum would be a good fit, due to his prior experience with Kliff Kingsbury in their time at the University of Houston.

If the team prioritizes speedy quarterbacks, Jeff Driskel and Joe Webb could be players to consider.

Overall, the Cardinals are in a good spot at the quarterback position with Kyler Murray and some intriguing, but inexperienced, backup options. Do not expect the team to pay much for a free agent quarterback, as they try to add more talent to other positions.