The NFL preseason ended Thursday night, which explains why one of the main story lines (the only one?) of the evening is what the Cardinals do at quarterback behind Sam Bradford and Josh Rosen.

One of the options, according to a couple of reports, is trading veteran Mike Glennon. Supposedly, acquiring Glennon is being discussed by quarterback “needy” teams, per one report, and has been “loosely connected” to the Broncos, according to another.

Where there is smoke, there is sometimes fire, and occasionally just a scented candle that’s been snuffed out.

I don’t see Glennon being traded, mainly because the Cardinals need him.

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Yes, I realize he stunk last year in Chicago. And, yes, I realize Charles Kanoff, a rookie free agent from Princeton, had an impressive summer and preseason for the Cardinals.

I still don’t think trading Glennon makes sense.

Bradford has a history of knee injuries and played in only two games last year. Odds are, the Cardinals will be forced to use a backup at some point this season, which means Rosen will play.

That’s fine. He’s the 10th overall pick. It’s not the worst thing in the world if he has to play this season.

What the Cardinals can’t afford to do is start the season with two rookie backups at quarterback. If Rosen is the starter, he would benefit from having a veteran backup, someone like Glennon, who has started 22 games over four seasons.

Yes, his teams lost 16 of those games, but he would still be more valuable to the Cardinals than Kanoff. And if Rosen were to go down, the Cardinals would at least have a chance to win games with Glennon starting.

Can the same be said if Kanoff were forced to play early in his career? Do you want to try to make that case to receiver Larry Fitzgerald? To cornerback Patrick Peterson? To any other veteran who has equity invested in this team?

If the Cardinals like Kanoff that much, try to re-sign him to the practice squad.

The Cardinals don’t have to look deep into their history to see the disastrous consequences of going with two rookie quarterbacks on the 53-man roster. They did it in 2010, electing to have Max Hall, a rookie free agent, and John Skelton, a fifth-round pick, back up Derek Anderson.

Anderson floundered and things only got uglier when Hall and Skelton had to play.

It doesn’t make financial sense for the Cardinals to trade Glennon, either, unless they are overwhelmed with an offer. And what team is going to make an overwhelming offer for Glennon?

It’s not as if Glennon is costing the Cardinals much. He received a $4 million signing bonus, which is prorated over two years for salary-cap purposes. His cap number right now is scheduled to be $2 million.

If he’s traded, Glennon’s cap number decreases for this year. But eventually that $4 million must be accounted for. 

Bradford and Rosen didn’t play Thursday night in the 21-10 loss to the Broncos. Glennon started and made a beautiful throw on the first series, perfectly placing ball between a corner and a safety for a 26-yard gain.

Two plays later, Glennon hit Greg Little for a 2-yard touchdown pass. Glennon played the entire first half and finished 8-of-10 for 69 yards.

“When he had time to go through his progressions, he was precise,” coach Steve Wilks said. “He did some good things.”

That Glennon even played should temper the rumors of a potential trade. If a deal was close, the Cardinals probably wouldn’t have played him. 

Kanoff took over in the second half and was victimized by a couple of drops. He lost a fumble on a sack and completed just 3 of 11 passes. Kanoff didn’t get much help, however, and he’s played well enough this preseason to be an intriguing prospect.

“I think he’s done some great things,” Wilks said. “Again, everything comes down to numbers.”

So, what did the performances of Glennon and Kanoff on Thursday night mean in the big picture? Probably nothing, nor should they.

The Cardinals entered the offseason without a quarterback under contract. With a combination of evaluation skill and luck, they ended up with a decent depth chart: Bradford, Rosen and Glennon. They should stick with it.

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Reach Somers at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @kentsomers. Hear Somers every Friday between 4 and 4:30 p.m. on The Drive with Jody Oehler on Fox Sports 910 AM.