The Cardinals want to be aggressive finding a quarterback — in free agency and the NFL draft

INDIANAPOLIS — The Arizona Cardinals don’t have a starting quarterback, and their plan to get one this offseason is to be aggressive.

When Carson Palmer announced his retirement in early January, that left Arizona with only Matt Barkley, Blaine Gabbert, and Drew Stanton on the roster. All of them are free agents, and none of them are starting quarterbacks.

To get a new starting quarterback this offseason, the Cardinals will have to be crafty in their approach. The Cardinals are expected to have about $23 million in salary cap space before cuts and free agency. They’re also sitting at No. 15 overall in the first round, being one a handful of teams that will also be looking for a franchise signal caller.

So, the Cardinals are going to be aggressive.

“When free agency starts, we’re going to try and get the best one,” head coach Steve Wilks said Wednesday at the NFL Scouting Combine. “Not only have a Plan A but a Plan B, and a Plan C. I think you have to be aggressive not just waiting for free agency but looking for trades, if that’s the case. Is it the draft? Is it at 15? Do we feel there is a guy we need to move up for?

“All those things go into play in being aggressive. It’s not just sitting back.”

Cardinals general manager Steve Keim agreed with his new head coach’s sentiment. Keim, who famously creates a 120-player draft board, has never hesitated making a move on a player he wants. Last year he moved up in the second round to make sure he could take safety Budda Baker.

“If you like a guy enough, you don’t want to take the chance on waiting. If you believe a guy is a franchise quarterback, in my opinion, take him and don’t look back,” Keim said. “Don’t worry about where he’s projected to go. That position is so important to your success, it really doesn’t matter where you take him. Two years from now, no one is going to remember that.”

Keim and Wilks both said they’d like to have a quarterback who is experienced and a younger player to develop.

That could mean any number of combinations for the Cardinals. Maybe it’s Sam Bradford in free agency and Wyoming’s Josh Allen in the first round. Maybe it’s AJ McCarron and Louisville’s Lamar Jackson. Or maybe it’s moving all the way up to get Sam Darnold of USC or Josh Rosen of UCLA.

Keim and Wilks just know they want to find a quarterback (or quarterbacks) who fit in their scheme. Compared to Keim, Wilks downplayed the position slightly, saying his offense will be focused on running the ball.

“When you really look at our offensive style we want to be productive No. 1 at running the football,” Wilks said. “I know this is a pass-happy league, but as a defensive-minded coach, there’s nothing more demoralizing to me than an offense running the ball. I feel like we have one of the top running backs in football in David Johnson.”

Still, Keim knows teams can take quarterbacks higher than they should be picked.

“At the end of the day, a lot of times that position gets pushed higher because of the supply and demand,” Keim said. “A lot of times you’ll be evaluating a player in the fall and think he’s a third-round pick. Then the way the board goes ... I don’t want to say (quarterbacks) are over-drafted but a team that has needs is certainly going to pull the trigger maybe a little higher than anticipated.”