Not surprisingly, GM Steve Keim didn't have a lot of quarterback answers as he talked Tuesday morning on the "Doug and Wolf" show on Arizona Sports 98.7. First thing was that he noted the Cardinals had yet to practice this week. The team gets a "bonus" practice today, and coach Bruce Arians will meet with the media later, with everyone wondering the health status of starter Drew Stanton's knee.

"Drew is extremely tough," Keim said "He's the type of guy I would not bet against."

If Blaine Gabbert did start, Keim said, Arians would cater to Gabbert's strengths, which points to Gabbert's athleticism. "I thought he looked comfortable when he had the opportunity to play early on (in preseason)," Keim said.

Keim said the idea of putting Gabbert in just to see what Gabbert can do going forward -- balancing against the Cardinals having the best chance to win -- is not a simple question. "You can go back and forth with that question," Keim said, saying that if you turned permanently to Gabbert now and he struggled, "would you go back to Drew?" After Carson Palmer got hurt, Keim added, Stanton gave the Cardinals the best chance to win. Thursday was a good example, Keim said, because "Drew couldn't have played much better. The receiving corps, frankly, let us down."

-- An interesting note with who could come off injured reserve. Keim called the process "fluid" and said there were five potential players who could still come back (the Cardinals can bring two players back total): Palmer, running backs David Johnson and T.J. Logan, guard Mike Iupati and ... long snapper Aaron Brewer.

-- Keim said there was no reason to overthink the signing of QB Matt Barkley. With Stanton banged up, it was an easy pickup of someone who has spent more than a year in the Arians offense and, if Stanton was out and Gabbert started and went down, Barkley "gives you an opportunity if he was forced into playing."

-- The move of Jared Veldheer back to left tackle was obvious at this point because the Cardinals wanted to have their best five offensive linemen on the field. "The sad part for me is that D.J. Humphries was playing so well," Keim said. Keim reiterated Arians' statement that Humphries should be healthy once the Cardinals' offseason program commences in the spring.

-- The Cardinals were already trying to get rookie safety Budda Baker more defensive snaps "because he earned it" but that will be accelerated with Tyvon Branch's season-ending injury. Branch's loss hurts on the field and the locker room, Keim said, but there is an excitement in seeing more from Baker, who has been the Cards' best special teams player. "His ability to cover ground really puts him in a place where he can be a special player, in my opinion," Keim said.