2018 NFL Power Rankings: Philadelphia Eagles begin preseason on top

24. Arizona Cardinals

Losing Carson Palmer to retirement was a crushing blow to the Arizona Cardinals since the team was already facing the pressure of turning things around after missing out on the playoffs in each of the last two seasons. But whether signing Sam Bradford will solve their issues on offense, well that’s a different story.

For a quarterback with a reputation of struggling to stay healthy, it was shocking to see the Cardinals open up their checkbooks for Bradford to pay him $20 million just for the 2018 season. Sure, there have been times when Bradford plays like a top quarterback in the league, but his history of injuries makes him a huge risk in a situation like this one since Arizona could be in serious trouble to make a push for the playoffs if he ends up getting hurt.

On a positive note, at least the Cardinals were willing to trade up in this year’s draft to land Josh Rosen in the first round after the former UCLA star slipped a few spots until he was selected at No. 10. Like most rookies, Rosen is expected to be a work in progress, and while he most likely won’t see the field in 2018, that could quickly change if something were to happen to Bradford.