Carson Beck Has Half A Season To Convince Cardinals They Have The Answer To Their QB Problem

This article was written by Gus Wilson and published on Sport & State, a new media company founded by Clay Travis that is built around sports, culture, original voices, and live conversation.
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Carson Beck has eight games to convince the Arizona Cardinals that their future franchise quarterback isn’t waiting in the 2027 NFL Draft. He’s already in the building.

During the offseason, the Cardinals released former No. 1 overall pick Kyler Murray, who subsequently signed with the Minnesota Vikings, ending his seven-year tenure in Arizona and signaling a new direction for the franchise.

The Cardinals initially turned to veteran Jacoby Brissett, who started the first eight games before being benched during the team’s victory over the Dallas Cowboys. Brissett was eventually traded to the Baltimore Ravens, leaving Gardner Minshew as the starter and Beck as his backup. But after just one start, Minshew suffered an elbow injury during Sunday’s 17-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, ending his season and unexpectedly opening the door for the rookie.

Cardinals QB Gardner Minshew placed on IR with a season-ending elbow injury. https://t.co/p1yiGtxwCA

— NFL (@NFL) November 10, 2026

Now, Beck is the next man up.

This isn’t just an opportunity to finish out a disappointing season for a team sitting at 3-6. After a lengthy college career and an impressive preseason debut, Beck has a legitimate chance to convince Arizona’s front office that it already found its quarterback of the future.

Beck’s storied college career

For those unfamiliar with Beck’s journey, the rookie has been playing high-level football for quite some time.

Coming out of Mandarin High School in Jacksonville, Fla., Beck was a four-star recruit who earned Florida’s Mr. Football honors after leading his team to its first state championship in 2018. He threw for 3,546 yards and 39 touchdowns that season, initially committed to Alabama and eventually signed with Georgia.

Beck spent his first three seasons in Athens primarily serving as a backup, earning two national championship rings behind Stetson Bennett before becoming the Bulldogs’ starting quarterback in 2023.

Carson Beck led Georgia down the field to put the game away ???? https://t.co/0ySLA13UgL

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 20, 2024

Over the next two seasons, Beck went 24-3 as Georgia’s starter, throwing for 7,912 yards and 58 touchdowns. But after suffering an elbow injury late in the 2024 season, Beck decided to transfer to Miami for one final opportunity to improve his NFL Draft stock.

In his lone season with the Hurricanes, Beck completed 72.4% of his passes for 3,813 yards and 30 touchdowns, leading Miami all the way to the College Football Playoff National Championship.

Carson Beck keeps it and sends Miami to the national championship game!

#GoCanes #CFBPlayoff
https://t.co/o8TtAkOOXe

— The Next Round (@NextRoundLive) January 9, 2026

Although the Hurricanes ultimately fell to Indiana, Beck’s final collegiate season reminded NFL scouts why he was once considered one of the country’s top quarterback prospects.

He finished his college career with 11,725 passing yards, 88 touchdowns and an impressive 37-6 record as a starter. That experience helped convince Arizona to select him with the No. 65 overall pick in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft.

While Beck wasn’t expected to start immediately, his first NFL appearance certainly earned attention.

Turning heads in the preseason

Beck didn’t need an entire preseason to make an impression. In fact, he only needed one game.

During the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game against the Carolina Panthers in August, Beck completed 15 of 19 passes for 188 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions, finishing with a 125.4 passer rating.

The rookie looked comfortable in the pocket, delivered several impressive deep throws and consistently moved the offense down the field.

Carson Beck in his NFL debut:

– 15/19 passing
– 188 passing yards
– 1 passing touchdown
– 0 interceptions
– 125.4 passer rating

QB1 for the Arizona Cardinals…? https://t.co/NHz7qMResb

— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) August 7, 2026

Unfortunately, Beck suffered a rib injury during that same game, preventing him from participating in Arizona’s final three preseason contests.

The injury cost him valuable opportunities to compete with Minshew for the backup job, and Beck ultimately entered the regular season as the Cardinals’ third-string quarterback.

Still, his performance left a strong impression on head coach Mike LaFleur. Just last week, LaFleur praised Beck’s preparation and understanding of the offense, saying he felt good about the rookie’s development.

Arizona Cardinals coach Mike LaFleur Carson Beck has looked “good.”

LaFleur likes how Beck has not made a “crap play worse” and handled ugly situations well early in camp. https://t.co/v8t1OaSFQT

— Bo Brack (@BoBrack) July 28, 2026

Now, Arizona is about to find out how much that development translates to meaningful NFL games.

Eight games left to prove himself

With Minshew out for the season and Brissett playing in Baltimore, Beck appears positioned to start Arizona’s final eight games.

The opportunity couldn’t be much bigger.

The Cardinals are expected to enter the 2027 offseason with another relatively high draft pick, potentially putting them in position to select one of the top quarterbacks in the class.

But if Beck can show that he’s capable of developing into a franchise quarterback, Arizona could use that selection to address one of its many other roster needs.

Unfortunately for the rookie, he won’t exactly be eased into the starting role. His first NFL start comes Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams, followed by a trip to Arrowhead Stadium to face the Kansas City Chiefs.

The supporting cast isn’t doing him many favors, either.

Carson Beck is going to debut against Myles Garrett + Aaron Donald on Sunday.

His starting wide receivers will be Simi Fehoko, Reggie Virgil and Devin Duvernay.

— Kyle Odegard (@Kyle_Odegard) November 9, 2026

Arizona already traded former first-round receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. to the Houston Texans in October, and 2025 breakout receiver Michael Wilson has now been ruled out for the remainder of the season with a neck injury.

Wilson had recorded 51 receptions for 546 yards through nine games, making his absence another significant blow to an offense already struggling with injuries.

With the Cardinals also missing several other receivers, Beck will likely rely heavily on star tight end Trey McBride as he gets accustomed to NFL defenses.

Only two players have 50+ targets this season and *0* drops:

1. Trey McBride (94)
2. Brock Bowers (70)

— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) November 11, 2026

It’s hardly an ideal situation for a rookie trying to prove he deserves a starting job. But there’s another way to look at it.

Beck isn’t being asked to rescue a Super Bowl contender or lead an established offense to the postseason. He’s being given an extended opportunity to demonstrate that he can handle the position, make smart decisions and continue improving each week.

Unlike many rookies, he already has years of experience playing in enormous games against some of the best competition college football has to offer. Of course, success at Georgia and Miami doesn’t guarantee success in the NFL. Neither does one impressive preseason performance. But Arizona invested a third-round pick in Beck for a reason.

Now, the Cardinals have eight games to evaluate whether that investment could become something much bigger.

By the time the 2027 NFL Draft rolls around, Arizona might be searching for another franchise quarterback, or Beck might have already given the organization its answer.

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