ESPN’s Ron Jaworski: Dearth of quality quarterbacks in the NFL right now

The Arizona Cardinals had a disastrous time in the 2012 season trying to find stability at the quarterback position. The team acquired Carson Palmer from the Oakland Raiders in the offseason in hopes of remedying that situation, but the offense hasn’t shown great strides of improvement with Palmer under center so far.

ESPN NFL analyst Ron Jaworski said Thursday while on Arizona Sports 620’s Burns & Gambo show that what’s happening to the Cardinals at quarterback is part of a league-wide phenomenon.

“It’s pretty scary, guys,” Jaworski said pejoratively of some of the quarterbacks that NFL teams have on their roster.

He pointed to Atlanta’s Dominique Davis, Pittsburgh’s Bruce Gradkowski, Denver’s Brock Osweiler and Cincinnati’s Josh Johnson as examples of how teams are struggling to find serviceable backups.

“These are guys that have had literally no NFL experience, and they’re one snap away from having to carry a team’s fortunes,” the analyst said.

He said he’s not even sure if the league boasts 32 “competent” starting quarterbacks — an average of one per team — at this time. He also said a rash of injuries has further diluted the overall quality of the position.

“And I think the league is concerned,” said Jaworski, who played quarterback for 14 years for the Rams, Eagles, Dolphins and Chiefs. “There have been an inordinate number of injuries, by my count.”

There are such slim pickings at the position that St. Louis, which lost starting QB Sam Bradford to a torn ACL last Sunday, reportedly contacted Brett Favre to see if he had any interest in joining the team. Favre, who last played in 2010, turned down the offer.

Despite the perceived lack of talent at quarterback, Jaworski said things are looking up for the league in the near future.

“I actually think the quality coming out of college is much better than it was a few years ago,” he said. “I think there’s better coaching right now. There are more passing (offenses) that have NFL concepts.

“The feeder system is good.”