There has not been a lot of discussion about now former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Blaine Gabbert, but a report has surfaced. NFL reporter Aaron Wilson tweeted on Tuesday that Gabbert is in talks with the Arizona Cardinals.
Carson Palmer is starting in Arizona, with Drew Stanton and Zac Dysert behind him on the depth chart. The Cardinals have also reportedly signed Texas A&M’s Trevor Knight and Tiffin’s Antonio Pipkin as undrafted free agents. There were a lot of rumors the past couple months that Arizona would draft a quarterback so they could begin preparations for a future without Palmer. They ended up not drafting any quarterbacks.
Gabbert joined the 49ers in a trade from the Jacksonville Jaguars. He started the final eight games in 2015 after Colin Kaepernick was benched and subsequently underwent multiple surgeries. While Kaepernick was rehabbing in the 2016 offseason, Gabbert took firm grasp of the starting QB job. He started the first five games of the season, but was benched after Week 5, with Kaepernick replacing him. In 13 starts, Gabbert completed 60.6 percent of his passes for 2,994 yards, with 16 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
I suppose the Cardinals want to provide some competition to push Drew Stanton. Neither Gabbert or Stanton are particularly good in a starting role. They’re capable backups who can fill in for short spurts, but if you’re relying on them for an extended series of games, your offense is probably in trouble.