INDIANAPOLIS -- The Arizona Cardinals are in an interesting position heading into 2017. The organization is in good shape due to a strong talent base built by Steve Keim over the past few years. But Arizona is also very much a “win now” team because of stars Carson Palmer and Larry Fitzgerald likely facing the final stretch of their careers. 

Palmer, in particular, is a concern because when he retires -- and he almost retired this offseason -- Arizona will be without a quarterback. Keim, speaking at the 2017 NFL combine, understands that and is fully prepared to invest in a young signal caller if need be.

The good news is, despite a “tough balance” of trying to find a young guy while having a veteran on the roster, that the Cardinals have a veteran who can “help develop” the young guy. 

“It is a tough balance,” Keim said of the quarterback situation. “But that’s my job, to look at the long-term health of the organization. So we have to make those kind of decisions. Really, to me, there’s no better time to take a young quarterback than when you have a guy like Carson, who can help develop him.”

There isn’t always an easy transition for a young quarterback in the NFL. Ask Aaron Rodgers how that worked in Green Bay, with Brett Favre unwilling to help mentor him as he came in the league. Remember Peyton Manning waving Brock Osweiler back to the sideline? Palmer understands the value of a veteran providing insight to a young player in the league.

“He and I had dinner a few weeks ago, the night before he announced he was coming back, Carson told me that all the coaching things are great, but some of the best things to develop a young quarterback are a veteran quarterback,” Keim said. “He learned from Jon Kitna. And maybe it wasn’t technical things, it was how to prepare off the field, it was how to study film. And to me, Carson would be a great role model for a young quarterback.”

At the same time, the Cardinals aren’t going to draft a quarterback in the first round just because they need a quarterback at some point in the future. Forcing a pick can, as Keim pointed out, “set you back for years.” 

“At the end of the day, you can’t force the pick either. You’ve got to really like what you see on tape, off the field,” Keim said. “If you take a quarterback high and he doesn’t pan out, it’s going to set you back for years. You have to give him time to develop, you have to give him a chance, and if you miss high, it’s going to cost you.”

Asked if Palmer would help out when it came to a young quarterback, Keim said he absolutely believes it’s the case and that Palmer wants “the right thing for the organization.”

“I think the one thing about Carson is he’s a true pro. So he gets it. There’s a lot of times we just spend time talking about our roster, and he gives me perspective in that area,” Keim said. “To be able to have an older player who has that kind of experience, to lean on ... there’s no doubt that he understands. He wants the right thing for the organization. He’s mature enough to look at the big picture. There’s no doubt in my mind that if we do draft a young guy or sign a young guy in free agency that he would step up to the plate and try to help develop him.”

And here’s the real beauty for Arizona: at No. 13 overall, the Cardinals can sit in their spot and hope that a quarterback falls, but be nimble if they have the opportunity to take a player higher on the board. Additionally, because they’ve got an extra year minimum with Palmer, they’ve got a good opportunity to let someone sit and learn. The quarterbacks in question -- including Deshaun Watson, who CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Canfora reports the Cardinals are high on -- probably need that additional seasoning. 

It’s a tough spot to be in because they’re going to need a quarterback soon, but having the guy they have and having the options they have put them in a great spot.