Arizona Cardinals third-round rookie Carson Beck showcased enough in his Hall of Fame Game performance against the Carolina Panthers for there to be a non-zero chance that he's the long-term answer at the quarterback position. Beck completed 15-of-19 passes for 188 yards and a touchdown, leading a 17-point second quarter for Arizona.
He also suffered a minor rib injury getting sacked late in that same quarter. That sidelined him for the remainder of the Cardinals' preseason, cooling any momentum.
Any chance at further player evaluation has been put on hold for Arizona, raising the question of when, if ever, Beck will get the opportunity to claim the starting role again.
The Cardinals dwindled their roster down to 53 on Sunday, predictably keeping three quarterbacks: Jacoby Brissett, Gardner Minshew II, and Beck.
Considering they reworked Brissett's deal to pay him closer to a starter-level salary with $15.5 million guaranteed, that's not going to be happening anytime soon for Beck.
Cardinals must see what they have in Carson Beck
Besides his impressive preseason performance, another factor in Beck's favor is the Cardinals' rebuilding situation compared with their divisional rivals, seeing as the NFC West is the best in football. They not only have a brutal 2026 schedule, but it's also frontloaded, with the easier matchups not coming until the very end of the season, when the Cardinals are by all accounts already going to be out of the playoff picture.
You could realistically say that in September, unfortunately. It's going to be that kind of season. But the silver lining is the pathway towards Beck starting late in the season against weaker competition. Because of the untimely preseason injury, that could realistically be Beck's last opportunity to prove he's this franchise's starter.
That certainly wasn't the expectation in The Valley, considering he was just a third-round selection. However, Beck landed in a perfect landing spot with the Cardinals' rebuilding situation.
He has relatively minimal competition for a starting path against two fringe starters in Brissett and Minshew. And if Beck does get that opportunity later in the season, he'll have a plethora of weapons at his disposal, including Marvin Harrison Jr., Michael Wilson, Trey McBride, and a pass-catching back in Jeremiyah Love.
That's the reality of the 2026 gap year the Cardinals find themselves in without a quarterback. In all likelihood, their best bet to find that long-term signal-caller will still come via the 2027 draft, which is projected to have four intriguing quarterbacks at the top.
It's wise to temper expectations with Beck, as there was a reason he was a third-round pick after all. However, Arizona can afford to experiment this season and might as well see what they truly have in him after that limited preseason sample size.
They have something encouraging to work with going forward to answer the position once and for all. Or, Beck's rookie growing pains only further help Arizona select their actual starting option in 2027, improving their draft position in the process.
Sounds like a win-win to me.
Add us as a preferred source on Google