TEMPE, Ariz. -- The Cardinals plan to continue starting Blaine Gabbert for the foreseeable future, coach Bruce Arians said Monday.
Gabbert, who is coming off a 27-24 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, is 1-1 in two consecutive starts this season. Drew Stanton, who Arians said is "getting healthier and healthier," will continue to back up Gabbert, Arians added.
"But we're going to stick with Blaine right now," Arians declared.
And possibly next season. Arians was asked about his comfort level in starting Gabbert next season should Carson Palmer retire.
"The way he's playing right now, I'd be very, very comfortable," Arians said.
Could Gabbert be Arizona's starter next year?
"Oh, yeah, I think it's a possibility," Arians said.
Should the Cardinals re-sign Gabbert, who is playing on a one-year contract worth $855,000 that he signed in May, it'll be the first time in the quarterback's career that he'll have played in the same offensive scheme two years in a row.
"He can blossom," Arians said.
Arians is "really proud" of how Gabbert has handled the opportunity to be the Cardinals' starter over the last two weeks. Gabbert has thrown for 498 yards, five touchdowns, three interceptions and has completed 61.1 percent of his passes.
"We're very blessed to have him," Arians said. "He's taken the bull by the horns and showing us that, 'I'm a player and I can play at this level and play very high.'"
While Arians doesn't feel like Gabbert needs to prove anything else to him, Arians said Gabbert has "a ton" of upside "as he continues to grow."
There are minor things that Arians thinks Gabbert can work on, namely protecting the ball when he scrambles. But the Cardinals' receivers have to improve on their scrambling, as well, Arians said. They didn't know who was going deep, who's going back and "guys were shooting the opposite way across the field." The Cards haven't run a scramble drill in practice in "so long," Arians said, which led to messy plays when Gabbert got out of the pocket.
"We have to get that cleaned up so when he gets out of there, he can still make plays down the field," Arians said.