For Broken-Down Cardinals, Future Rests on Finding True Franchise Quarterback

Everything was in place in 2014 for the Arizona Cardinals to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2009. Everything, it turned out, except a starting quarterback.

In the second year of Bruce Arians' offensive scheme, things were finally starting to click. Larry Fitzgerald and Michael Floyd were joined by rookie John Brown, who has scored more touchdowns than both of them.

Andre Ellington emerged as a true feature back, with over 1,000 all-purpose yards on the season and five total touchdowns. And Stepfan Taylor established himself as a goal-line back, scoring four touchdowns on just 45 carries. 

But four different quarterbacks have taken snaps from under center for Arizona, and none of them is the answer in 2015. Drew Stanton started eight games and Carson Palmer started six, before both sustained knee injuries in two different games against the St. Louis Rams.

Ryan Lindley, who got his first start on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks, looked borderline disastrous: He went 18-of-44 for no touchdowns and an interception. Arians had felt good about starting Lindley prior to the game, noting that the constant injuries won't change the way Arizona prepares.

"We're not going to change what we do," Arians said, per ESPN.com's Terry Blount. "I really like Ryan. I love how he prepares. I'm very comfortable with him." 

Comfortable enough, apparently, not to consider starting rookie Logan Thomas instead. The Cardinals' 2014 fourth-round draft pick doesn't even have 10 career pass attempts. 

Though it's unlikely the Cardinals ever planned to play Thomas at all in 2014 regardless of the circumstances, it's hard to believe the team thinks he's ready to start at the beginning of 2015. Could he be the cornerstone of Arians' future plans? Perhaps, but there's nothing to suggest that currently. Darren Urban has this from Arians:

Arizona's series of unfortunate events at the quarterback position is, of course, made even more complicated by the fact that the team signed Palmer to a three-year, $50 million extension in November, with about $20 million guaranteed through 2015. 

Those are numbers decided on by a team that clearly expected Palmer to be its starter through the 2015 season. When Palmer was placed on injured reserve, it was with the expectation that he would be ready to play in 2015, as he suffered no other damage in the knee besides the torn ACL. 

But it's the same ACL that Palmer tore in 2006, and the veteran signal-caller, who will turn 35 on December 27, will be entering his 13th season in the league. It's possible—even likely—that Palmer's best days are behind him and that he will never be the same.

Certainly, it's hard to imagine him coming out in 2015 to throw 11 touchdowns to two interceptions and averaging 271 yards per game, as he did this season. And Arizona's struggles since his injury have clearly shown that "next man up" will only get this offense so far. ESPN's Jeff Borzello notes this stat breakdown since Palmer's been out:

So what can the Cardinals do? It's bad business to pay Palmer to play a No. 2 role, but they'll need to make a decision about their future. After just having spent a fourth-round draft pick on a quarterback last season, it's hard to swallow doing it again so soon.

But even if Palmer's rehab goes well enough for him to play serviceably in 2015, it's clear that the Cardinals' long-term franchise quarterback is not currently on the roster. 

They may not have the stomach to invest a high-round pick in such a player this offseason, or pay one in free agency, but by continuing to hedge their bets on Palmer, the Cardinals may not have a team that can make it to the playoffs next season.

Everything is in place for Arizona to contend, except a quarterback. The Cardinals should make a point of addressing the need early, while the rest of the offense is so well-built.

Though Fitzgerald has a cap number of $23.6 million in 2015, NBC Sports' Mike Florio reported Sunday that the Cardinals won't release him. That will be a huge boost in 2015 for this offense, keeping a highly productive group intact. 

Brown and Floyd will both return in 2015 as well, rounding out one of the league's most productive receiving corps; all three receivers have 10 catches of 20-plus yards. Ellington, meanwhile, hasn't played a full 16-game season in his career, having missed three this season with a foot injury. Given the offseason to fully recover, however, he could be primed for his first 1,000-yard season in 2015.

With their stars returning, the Cardinals are primed to have a multi-dimensional, balanced and most importantly, healthy offense in 2015. 

Without a healthy, talented quarterback at the helm, however, all Arizona's talent on offense could go unrealized.