The Arizona Cardinals have made a huge gamble on Sam Bradford’s health as they signed him to be their starting quarterback despite his long history of knee problems. However, Bradford has provided some initial optimism about his chances of staying on the field in Arizona.

“My knee feels good,” Bradford said per Darren Urban of the team's official website. “I went through some struggles last year with it, and it was probably one of the most frustrating seasons I’ve had mentally. The first part of the season, I just couldn’t get it to calm down. But with the procedure I had in November, I was able to get myself into a position to suit up for the playoff games, and really since then, it felt good.”

After two fairly healthy seasons, Bradford’s troublesome knee struck again last season as he was limited to just two games. Luckily for the Minnesota Vikings, they were able to withstand Bradford’s loss as backup Case Keenum, not to mention their elite defense, led them all the way to the NFC Championship Game.

It remains to be seen whether the Cardinals defense – which just lost the recently-cut Tyrann Mathieu – and backup Mike Glennon are good enough to do the same if Bradford goes down again. The Cardinals are certainly hoping it doesn’t come to that.

When healthy, Bradford has proven he can be an above-average NFL quarterback. He completed 71.6 percent of his passes for 3,877 passing yards, 20 touchdowns, and just five interceptions in his only season with the Vikings. If he can put together that type of season again, the Cardinals should have an outside chance of being a contender in the NFC West.