- Photo courtesy of Arizona Cardinals

PHOENIX, Ariz. - According to reports from the Arizona Cardinals, former Tarleton quarterback Richard Bartel signed with the NFL team ealier this week.  On Wednesday, Bartel split time at quarterback for the Cardinals in practice.

The Cardinal's website said that as veteran Derek Anderson remains sidelined with a concussion, head coach Kent Whisenhunt is left with a rookie fifth-round pick (John Skelton) "whom he has repeatedly said isn't ready and a newly signed backup UFL signal-caller who just signed this week (Bartel) as his QB choices."

The head coach said he was waiting to see if Anderson would be able to even practice this week, and until, they would not decide which quarterback would be starting Sunday against Denver. 

"We brought [Bartel] in a couple of weeks ago, and we liked what we saw," Whisenhunt told reporters Wednesday.  "We liked the way he understood what we were trying to talk about conceptually.  We feel good about him coming in. He has been around the game, and he has been in the league and on some teams, and he understands the speed of the game and how to compare."

Bartel told the reporters in the locker room, "Nobody's waiting on me.

"The fact there are no expectations and you're not expected to do hardly anything, I think everything is kind of cherry on top at this point," Bartel said. 

Bartel played with Anderson in Cleveland and has worked with quarterbacks coach Chris Miller at offseason youth camps.  He started the final preseason game for the Washington Redskins, and he completed 10-of-12 passes against the Cardinals in the contest.

Bartel has done time with the Dallas Cowboys, the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Browns, the Redskins and now the Cardinals.

Arizona is 3-9 this season, and the Cardinals have lost seven straight. 

To see Wednesday's practice story from the Cardinals, go to their website, or see the release of Bartel's signing.