Cardinals are running out of time to win with Carson Palmer and Larry Fitzgerald

The Arizona Cardinals entered the 2016 season with high expectations. Carson Palmer was leading a high-octane offense surrounded by talented weapons, including the ageless Larry Fitzgerald and ascending running back David Johnson. The defense had opportunistic playmakers all over the field, with genuine stars like Patrick Peterson, Tyrann Mathieu, and Calais Campbell.

It seemed like all the pieces were in place to dethrone the Seattle Seahawks for good and make a serious run at a Super Bowl title.

Unfortunately, that never came to fruition. Injuries and inconsistent play doomed the Cardinals, who could never put together a strong stretch and finished with a 7-8-1 record. It was a bitter setback just one year after going 13-3 and reaching the NFC Championship. With the core players one year older and some key talent leaving in free agency, Bruce Arians suddenly has more questions than answers heading into his fifth season in the desert.

Palmer had an MVP-worthy campaign in 2015, but his momentum came to a screeching halt in the NFC Championship, when he threw four interceptions and lost two fumbles in a lopsided loss to the Carolina Panthers. Palmer was playing through a finger injury, which might have explained his struggles.

But it’s hard to explain away much of what went wrong in 2016.

Palmer still managed to throw for 4,233 passing yards, but the rest of his numbers showed a troubling downward trend from 2015. His touchdowns dropped from 35 to 26, interceptions jumped from 11 to 14, yards per attempt plummeted from 8.7 to 7.1, and QB Rating went from 104.6 to 87.2. He also took 40 sacks — up from 25 the previous season — and generally looked haggard in the pocket, forcing throws and not looking nearly as composed as he normally does.

Now 37 years old, Palmer is keenly aware that the end is near. He took some time off after the season ended before confirming that he will return for a 15th season.

“My intent was to take some time after the season to get away and see where I was physically and mentally,” Palmer said. “On both fronts, I can say I’m ready to get back to work and prepare for the 2017 season.”

Palmer’s brother Jordan told campers at the Elite 11 high school quarterback competition last Friday that Carson would play one more year, 2017, according to SB Nation’s recruiting analyst Bud Elliot who was on the scene.

Despite Palmer flirting with retirement, the Cardinals didn’t do much to find his successor. They didn’t get anyone in the draft, though they signed undrafted free agent Trevor Knight. Their only other free agent signee was Blaine Gabbert, who put up a paltry 68.4 QB rating last season and was benched for Colin Kaepernick.

Drew Stanton has been Palmer’s backup for the past four years and is still on the roster. Stanton has filled in for an injured Palmer before but hasn’t done much to impress. He completed just 51.8 percent of his passes and threw nine touchdowns to 10 interceptions in those nine games.

So if Palmer gets hurt again, the options are two quarterbacks with a combined starting record of 17-36 and a rookie who wasn’t drafted. Yikes.

If the Cardinals have any hope of reaching the mountaintop this season, they need to commit to protecting Palmer and taking pressure off him with the running game.

Fortunately, they have a hell of a running back to fall back on.

A third-round pick out of Northern Iowa in 2015, Johnson spent his first season splitting time with veteran back Chris Johnson. The rookie showed tremendous potential in limited action, so in 2016, Arians took off the leash and rode Johnson as a full-time back.

The result was one of the most electric running back seasons we’ve seen in a long time. Johnson looked like the natural successor to LaDainian Tomlinson, destroying opposing defenses on both the ground and through the air:

He not only has strong vision and deceptive power, but Johnson has incredibly fast wheels, capable of flipping the scoreboard on any given play.

Johnson led the league with 2,118 yards from scrimmage, piling up 20 touchdowns and 80 receptions in the process. He also had 14 straight games with at least 100 yards from scrimmage, an NFL record. He’s on the shortlist in the “best running back in football” debate, and the Cardinals should continue building their entire offense around him.

They’ll need Johnson, too, because that vaunted wide receiver group is suddenly looking thin these days.

Larry Fitzgerald is a surefire Hall of Famer and led the league with 107 catches last season. He also turns 34 in August and, like Palmer, thought about retirement before coming back for another season. The sooner the Cardinals can find his successor in the passing game, the better.

This situation would look more stable if John Brown returns to form. After a breakout year in 2015 (65 catches, 1,003 yards, seven touchdowns), Brown was hampered by hamstring injuries due to a sickle cell issue last season, ending up with just 39 catches and two touchdowns. Michael Floyd fell out of favor in the offense before a DUI arrest led to his release. J.J. Nelson showed flashes of promise but is still unproven as a starting receiver.

The Cardinals drafted Grambling State’s Chad Williams in the third round this year. So far, he’s drawing rave reviews from Fitzgerald.

“He’s extremely explosive,” Fitzgerald said, via Revenge of the Birds. “He reminds me of Anquan Boldin in terms of the strength of his hands. Once [the football] touches his hands, it doesn’t move.”

But full practices haven’t even started yet, so it’s too early to tell how much of a role Williams will have as a rookie.

There is some promise among this group but also a lot of risk — especially if Brown’s sickle cell problems flare up again.

There’s a changing of the guard at left tackle, where Jared Veldheer played the past three seasons. Veldheer is moving over to the right side to make way for 2015 first-round pick D.J. Humphries, who played on the right side last year. Humphries wasn’t particularly impressive, but there’s hope that he’ll be better at his more natural position on the blind side. Still only 23 years old, it’s possible we haven’t seen Humphries’ true ceiling yet.

The rest of the line is mostly the same, with Mike Iupati holding down left guard and A.Q. Shipley at center. Given the hellacious pressure Palmer was under last year, it’s arguable that Arizona should’ve done more to upgrade this unit.

The Cardinals didn’t make any notable additions in free agency, though they did draft guard Dorian Johnson in the fourth round and tackle Will Holden in the fifth. There’s youth and potential along this line, but the starting five probably won’t be settled until deep into training camp.

The defensive side of the ball was particularly hurt by free agency. Calais Campbell, Tony Jefferson, D.J. Swearinger, and Marcus Cooper all departed for other teams, leaving the Cardinals without key role players. Their only major additions in free agency were safety Antoine Bethea and linebacker Jarvis Jones, but general manager Steve Keim did a good job replenishing the unit in the draft.

First-round linebacker Hasson Reddick and second-round safety Budda Baker should be immediate contributors, with Baker in particular bringing some position versatility just like his new teammate Tyrann Mathieu.

There is still a ton of talent on this defense. Patrick Peterson remains a top-level cornerback, while Chandler Jones revived the pass rush with 11 sacks after coming over in a trade with the New England Patriots. The Cardinals smartly gave him a big extension in March.

Mathieu wasn’t quite the same after suffering a torn ACL in 2015, but he should be close to his usual self a year removed from surgery.

There’s another injury concern with Deone Bucannon, who’s recovering from ankle surgery and might not be ready for Week 1. That’s giving Reddick, who played defensive end in college, more first-team reps at linebacker early this offseason.

In addition, defensive lineman Robert Nkemdiche could be in line for extended playing time after barely seeing the field in his rookie year. If last year’s first-round pick plays up to expectations, he could fill in the void left by Campbell’s departure.

For a unit that finished second in yards allowed per game and 14th in points allowed, the hope is that there won’t be too much of a drop-off. But the defense is still facing some not-insignificant turnover.

Despite some holes and question marks, this Cardinals team remains supremely talented. It has the right mix of promising young players, elite stars in the middle of their prime, and seasoned veterans who can still play. It would not be at all surprising if Arizona bounces back to challenge the Seahawks in the NFC West.

But the big question is if the Cardinals have enough to get to the Super Bowl. So far in their careers, a Super Bowl ring has eluded Palmer and Fitzgerald. How much longer do the Cardinals have before the veteran duo rides off into the sunset?

Keim has proved to be a good GM, but finding a quarterback of the future will be his main challenge over the next couple of years. That could make the difference between the Cardinals finally getting over the hump or seeing their contention window slam shut in a hurry.