Monday was a big day in quarterback competitions around the NFL as Jake Locker won the job in Tennessee and Ryan Tannehill will be under center in Miami.
There’s a good reason for that. This week’s games are a dress rehearsal for the regular season, from playing time to practice reps to game planning, and teams want to have their starter take advantage of that workload. Not every team has decided on their signal caller, though.
Seattle looks ready to give Russell Wilson his first preseason action with the first team and the Cardinals say that they are still sorting things out in their camp. Coach Ken Whisenhunt said Monday that John Skelton will get the start and play into the second half against the Titans on Thursday, but cautioned that this doesn’t mean he’s won the starting job. According to Whisenhunt, it’s just his turn in the rotation with Kevin Kolb.
“I don’t think there’s any pressure or any reason to say you would have to make that decision before that game,” Whisenhunt said, via Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic. “I just want to make sure we have enough situational evaluations of these players to make that decision.”
There might not be a more important situational evaluation than the one the Cardinals will make about Skelton this week. He’ll get all of the extra time and snaps that come with starting the next-to-last preseason game. Whisenhunt can say the rotation dictates the choice, but rotations can change at his whim and the fact that he’s going with Skelton speaks loudly about who has the best shot at winning the job in Arizona this season.