Head coach Mike LaFleur switched starting quarterbacks from Jacoby Brissett to Gardner Minshew II, with the Arizona Cardinals even trading Brissett to the Baltimore Ravens after the decision. Sunday's 17-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks echoed what LaFleur said all along: the problems go well beyond quarterback.
Minshew Mania was short-lived after the Cardinals' surprising Week 8 comeback over the Dallas Cowboys. Arizona's offense putting up just three points against a stout Seattle defense shouldn't make them second-guess the decision to move on from Brissett. However, it should open the window for yet another quarterback switch from veteran stopgap Minshew to third-round rookie Carson Beck.
Cardinals must give themselves time to evaluate rookie Carson Beck
We previously predicted LaFleur would switch to Beck in Week 12 against the Washington Commanders, as the weakened strength of schedule to finish the season could align with the Cardinals being out of the NFC playoff picture at that point. But there were concerns about how much of the Minshew Mania was a result of a flawed Dallas defense rather than the Cardinals' offense actually turning a corner. The Week 9 loss to Seattle further confirmed that theory, which is another reason LaFleur should feel more urgency to embrace the rebuild with Beck.
The LaFleur era is off to a promising start in The Valley, yet the quarterback position remains the biggest question looming over Arizona's rebuild. The silver lining is that the Cardinals should be in a prime position to select that quarterback with a likely top-ten pick in the first round of the NFL Draft. However, those expectations should be somewhat tempered after seeing how the college season has played out.
Oklahoma State's Drew Mestemaker is emerging as the top quarterback prospect but is playing himself out of the Cardinals' projected draft range. Meanwhile, prospects like Oregon's Dante Moore and Texas' Arch Manning have seen their stock fall after respective underwhelming seasons. The surprising uncertainty at quarterback in the 2027 draft class should give the Cardinals even more reason to turn to Beck.
It's no longer a matter of finding the right defense to start him against; it's more a priority to give him as many starts as possible. Brissett and Minshew have both already proven they are nothing more than veteran stopgaps, and giving Beck as many weeks as possible to increase the sample size for both development and, most importantly, evaluation now makes perfect sense.
Expect LaFleur to stick with Minshew for Arizona's next matchup against the Los Angeles Rams. But considering they're now 3-6 in a stacked NFC West, this team will be out of the playoff picture sooner rather than later. That also aligns with the fast-approaching trade deadline on Nov. 10. The Cardinals already shipped Brissett to Baltimore, turning his expiring deal into at least some future draft capital. Even with Minshew taking over as the team's starter, this loss to Seattle showed he's still expendable. A potential reunion with the quarterback-needy Philadelphia Eagles, perhaps?
Regardless of what GM Monti Ossenfort decides to do with Minshew, and whether there's even a market for him, LaFleur has to feel more urgency to switch to Beck. Not that he'll necessarily be the answer given his third-round draft pedigree, but we have already seen what this offense now looks like with both Brissett and Minshew.
Could Beck really be that much worse? It's time to find out.
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