The Arizona Cardinals lost Thursday's Hall of Fame Game to a last-second rushing touchdown by Carolina Panthers quarterback Haynes King, falling 33-30. But in preseason, process matters far more than results. And overall, the Cardinals coaching staff has to be pleased with how they looked on the field.
We already saw a glimpse of the identity Arizona will have with new head coach Mike LaFluer, with an effective system that even helped Carson Beck have a strong Cardinals debut.
1. Carson Beck
Beck only played the first half, recording 188 passing yards with one touchdown while completing 15-of-19 passes. He looked more poised and experienced in the pocket than a traditional player in his class, which could also be attributed to being a 23-year-old rookie.
Still, Arizona has to be thrilled with Beck showcasing that he at least has a chance to be their immediate answer at quarterback. That chance in itself has already validated the third-round selection.
2. Mike LaFleur
You could already get a sense of what the Cardinals' identity will look like under Mike LaFleur. Unsurprisingly, it seems like a mix of his brother, Matt, in Green Bay, combined with two of his previous head coaches, Sean McVay in Los Angeles and Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco. There's pre-snap movement, West Coast offense styles being implemented, and Arizona's next quarterback, Kedon Slovis, also doing well as the second-half replacement because of the system.
That's the Cardinals' only chance to make up for their lack of talent at the most important position, becoming one of those rare teams where the quarterback is set up to thrive because of the situation he's coming into. We got a sprinkle of that on Thursday, and it had Cardinals fans excited for what the new LaFleur era could eventually become.
3. Reggie Virgil
Jalen Brooks may have shown the initial connection with Beck, hauling in three passes for an impressive 99 yards. But in terms of consistency, we came away impressed with Cardinals fifth-round rookie receiver Reggie Virgil.
He seemed like a reliable safety valve, finishing with 66 yards and five receptions on six targets. There was hype surrounding Virgil as a potential late-round gem at Cardinals training camp, and we finally got a glimpse of that in a game setting against Carolina.
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