#TBT - Carson Palmer, QB, Arizona Cardinals, Age 35
-Jagibbs_23 September 17
I took a week off from #TBT to work on DFS stuff, but I have a good one for you this week. My #ThrowBackThursday this week is Arizona Cardinals QB, Carson Palmer. Palmer will turn 36 this season, so the old man might not be quite the spry young gunslinger we saw back in his Cincinnati days, but I think that might be a good thing.
Other than injuries, Palmer has aged well. He’s seen his numbers increasing each year since 2010. In 2011 and 2014, his season totals weren’t quite as high as the surrounding years, but he was on pace for career seasons in both before succumbing to injury. In 2010 he was 30 yards shortl of 4,000, and every year since then he’s topped 4,000 or been on pace to. People don’t realize it, but Palmer has been one of the better QBs over the past 5 seasons, despite playing for 3 different teams, one of which was the Raiders!
Palmer set a career high in 2013 with 4,274 yards on his way to 24 TD. In 2014, he seemed to be on his way to breaking that career high before suffering a torn ACL. Palmer was on pace for 4,336 yards and 29 TD. It seems clear that Palmer’s skills are not eroding like that of a normal 35 year old. I think the real reason for his recent improvement is the progression of the Arizona offense.
Palmer is in one of the best situations for a QB going into the 2015 season. It’s not quite Denver or Indy, but it’s near the top. He has an established, dependable WR in Larry Fitzgerald, who didn’t drop a single pass last season, and only dropped one in 2013. He also has two young talented wideouts that can take the top off the defense in Michael Floyd and John Brown. Floyd has proven that he and Palmer can effectively hook up on the long ball over the past two seasons, catching 32 passes of over 20 yards, and 9 of 40+. Palmer has also continued to improve his chemistry with Brown. Brown caught 3 of his 5 TD last season in the 6 games with Palmer under center, and averaged an impressive 18.4 YPC this preseason. Arizona also added rookie speedster J.J. Nelson this offseason, who flashed this preseason.
Outside of the elite group of wideouts, Palmer also has two explosive weapons out of the backfield in Andre Ellington and David Johnson. Ellington has accumulated 766 receiving yards and 3 receiving TD in two seasons with Arizona. Johnson was described by the coaching staff as “virtually uncoverable out of the backfield,” and he got the opportunity to show off his skills this preseason, catching 6 balls for 55 yards and a TD in about 4 quarters of play.
Add in the fact that Arizona has one of the league’s premier pass blocking O-Lines, (28 sacks allowed last year) and got even better by signing Mike Iupati this offseason, and everything looks bright for Palmer this season. The only possible concern is injury risk, which is valid. Considering he’s going as the 24th QB according to ESPN ADP, the reward is well worth the injury risk. He’s being drafted behind the likes of Alex Smith and Jay Cutler. I don’t care that Palmer is the one of the oldest players in the NFL. If he stays healthy, he’s going to have a career year. There’s no risk in stashing him as your backup QB. Go get him now!
Other than injuries, Palmer has aged well. He’s seen his numbers increasing each year since 2010. In 2011 and 2014, his season totals weren’t quite as high as the surrounding years, but he was on pace for career seasons in both before succumbing to injury. In 2010 he was 30 yards shortl of 4,000, and every year since then he’s topped 4,000 or been on pace to. People don’t realize it, but Palmer has been one of the better QBs over the past 5 seasons, despite playing for 3 different teams, one of which was the Raiders!
Palmer set a career high in 2013 with 4,274 yards on his way to 24 TD. In 2014, he seemed to be on his way to breaking that career high before suffering a torn ACL. Palmer was on pace for 4,336 yards and 29 TD. It seems clear that Palmer’s skills are not eroding like that of a normal 35 year old. I think the real reason for his recent improvement is the progression of the Arizona offense.
Palmer is in one of the best situations for a QB going into the 2015 season. It’s not quite Denver or Indy, but it’s near the top. He has an established, dependable WR in Larry Fitzgerald, who didn’t drop a single pass last season, and only dropped one in 2013. He also has two young talented wideouts that can take the top off the defense in Michael Floyd and John Brown. Floyd has proven that he and Palmer can effectively hook up on the long ball over the past two seasons, catching 32 passes of over 20 yards, and 9 of 40+. Palmer has also continued to improve his chemistry with Brown. Brown caught 3 of his 5 TD last season in the 6 games with Palmer under center, and averaged an impressive 18.4 YPC this preseason. Arizona also added rookie speedster J.J. Nelson this offseason, who flashed this preseason.
Outside of the elite group of wideouts, Palmer also has two explosive weapons out of the backfield in Andre Ellington and David Johnson. Ellington has accumulated 766 receiving yards and 3 receiving TD in two seasons with Arizona. Johnson was described by the coaching staff as “virtually uncoverable out of the backfield,” and he got the opportunity to show off his skills this preseason, catching 6 balls for 55 yards and a TD in about 4 quarters of play.
Add in the fact that Arizona has one of the league’s premier pass blocking O-Lines, (28 sacks allowed last year) and got even better by signing Mike Iupati this offseason, and everything looks bright for Palmer this season. The only possible concern is injury risk, which is valid. Considering he’s going as the 24th QB according to ESPN ADP, the reward is well worth the injury risk. He’s being drafted behind the likes of Alex Smith and Jay Cutler. I don’t care that Palmer is the one of the oldest players in the NFL. If he stays healthy, he’s going to have a career year. There’s no risk in stashing him as your backup QB. Go get him now!