The Arizona Cardinals are now 1-4 after a four-game losing streak. There's no end in sight either, with a difficult Week 6 matchup scheduled against the divisional rival Los Angeles Rams.
The Cardinals enter a difficult slate of games with a roster that is, quite frankly, holding on by a thread. Their defense is falling apart, surrendering 30+ points in each of their four losses. They have an offensive line that wasn't great to begin with, but is now decimated by injuries. This team will unfortunately be out of the playoff picture sooner rather than later.
This predictably slow start to the season raises the question of why the Cardinals decided to rework Jacoby Brissett's deal in the first place. They paid him roughly $10 million more to get maybe one more win than the alternative options at the position? Gardner Minshew II isn't significantly worse than Brissett to the point where it would meaningfully affect Arizona's win total at the end of the season.
Mike LaFleur isn't ready to start Carson Beck, but he should be
But it's too late, too late for all that, as Arizona has financially committed to Brissett already for the season. Going forward, it's now in their best long-term interest to turn to third-round rookie Carson Beck at quarterback.
Head coach Mike LaFleur has already made it clear that Brissett will remain this team's starter in their matchup against the Rams. Following the 45-21 blowout loss to the Detroit Lions, he basically said he has too many other problems to worry about right now to consider a quarterback change.
That's a valid response, as LaFleur has been dealt a flawed Cardinals roster -- one that just had a 45-point burger with lettuce, tomato, all the fixings dropped on them.
Then again, we knew that heading into the season, which is why it was essentially a waste to retain Brissett in the first place.
Cardinals need to embrace the rebuild after a rough Week 5
Week 5 felt like a turning point in Arizona's season, and not in a good way.
They essentially admitted their Marvin Harrison Jr. draft mistake by sending him to the Houston Texans. But now, it's time to admit their Jacoby Brissett mistake as well.
While Beck realistically may not be the long-term answer, this transitional season is the perfect opportunity for the Cardinals to see what they have in their rookie.
Beck would benefit from the reps and experience from a developmental standpoint while also giving Arizona an opportunity to evaluate him in a regular season game setting.
At this rate, the Cardinals are set to land yet another top ten pick in next year's draft. There are a few quarterback prospects projected to be selected in that range. Why not at least give Beck a chance before spending yet another pick at the position?
LaFleur won't make the switch now, but I'm not convinced the struggling Cardinals will snap this losing streak anytime soon. With upcoming matchups against the Rams, Broncos, Cowboys, Seahawks, Rams, and Chiefs, the Cardinals will be lucky to come out with more than one win during this brutal six-game stretch.
They might as well turn to Beck and look ahead to the future.
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