Arizona Cardinals rookie quarterback Carson Beck is starting in Thursday's Hall of Fame Game against the Carolina Panthers, head coach Mike LaFleur recently announced.
This presents the perfect opportunity for the Cardinals to gain more clarity on their third-round pick, evaluating in a real game setting after what was an up-and-down first half of training camp. He was looking the part of a third-round rookie at the start of camp, but has turned into a different player ever since the pads came on.
Cardinals gives themselves a better chance to evaluate Carson Beck
Of course, this is the million-dollar question in Cardinals camp these past few seasons: does this mean our offense is this good, or does this mean our defense is this bad?
It's difficult to answer that question in general, but particularly with a rookie like Beck because the Cardinals coaching staff has yet to see him against other NFL-level competition. By starting him Thursday, they give themselves an increased sample size before LaFleur "officially" decides on a Week 1 starter in the Sept. 13 season opener against the Los Angeles Chargers.
The fact that Arizona agreed to a reworked deal worth $15.5 million guaranteed for Jacoby Brissett suggests they are committed to him as the regular-season starter for now, despite Beck suddenly getting his chance in the Hall of Fame Game.
Why Cardinals should turn to Carson Beck midseason
If he carries over his recent training camp play into the preseason, it will force LaFleur to at least reconsider that option. And even if Beck doesn't ultimately get the Week 1 nod, he still might have a chance to start for the Cardinals at some point this season.
Arizona is stuck in a brutal NFC West division, which makes their playoff hopes that much more unrealistic and contributes to a brutal schedule to start the season. There's a scenario in which the Cardinals are out of the playoff picture midseason, which would be the perfect time to switch to Beck.
Then, it would be a win-win scenario. Either he plays well, and the Cardinals have a chance to gain momentum with an up-and-coming quarterback and potential third-round steal. Or, he struggles in that regular season audition, putting the Cardinals in an even better position to draft a true long-term answer in the 2027 class.
Beck has already shown why he was a worthwhile third-round pick for a team so desperate at the most important position in football. But proving he's the long-term answer at the position is another thing entirely. It sounds like his first chance to achieve the latter starts on Thursday, with kickoff slated for 5:00 p.m. PT.
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