The NFL moves quickly and, for Carson Beck, that means the former Miami Hurricanes quarterback has gone from being inactive a couple of weeks ago to becoming the Arizona Cardinals starter this week against the Los Angeles Rams.
Beck went from QB3 to QB1 in a matter of days after the Cardinals decided to trade Jacoby Brissett to the Baltimore Ravens, and then Gardner Minshew II went down with a UCL injury that is likely to end his season.
So now it's Beck's time to shine on a team that's clearly given him an 8-game sample size to determine what their next move is going to be. Beck was a second-day pick (No. 65 overall) and the third quarterback selected in the 2026 NFL Draft, so the Cardinals are going to give him a good look over the next two months.
"You HAVE to find out what you have in him."@PriscoCBS on Carson Beck expected to start for Cardinals this week.#justfootball pic.twitter.com/iNd7YNdlwT
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) November 10, 2026
"You have to find what you have in [Beck], because if you don't have anything in him, then you're going back into the pool next year and drafting a quarterback," CBS Sports' Pete Prisco said. "He needs to play... and he looked good in the preseason."
Carson Beck finally gets his shot with the Cardinals
As Prisco pointed out, Beck had an excellent preseason, completing 15 of 19 passes for 188 yards and a touchdown in the Hall of Fame Game. His 90.7 PFF grade had fans buzzing, but he suffered an injury in that game that has kept him sidelined since. There also seemed to be some trepidation from Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur about getting Beck on the field. Whether that was lingering injury concerns or self-preservation from the first-year coach, we'll never know.
What we do know is that Beck will already be facing the final boss in his opening assignment. The Rams' defensive line features Aaron Donald, arguably the best defensive player of this era, and Myles Garrett, who came off injured reserve and got three sacks against the Washington Commanders.
This is the equivalent of passing Jedi training and immediately getting into a lightsaber battle with Darth Vader, except that there are two Darth Vaders. And then there is the receiving corps that Beck will have at his disposal.
Here's the WR production Carson Beck has to work with in his first career start for the Arizona Cardinals:
— Bo Brack (@BoBrack) November 10, 2026
Devin Duvernay: 4 catches, 22 yards
Reggie Virgil: 3 catches, 54 yards
Simi Fehoko: 1 catch, 17 yards
Harrison Wallace III: 0 catches
8 catches, 93 yards total pic.twitter.com/QZCsh0L4xe
That's not exactly the duo of Marvin Harrison Jr. and Michael Wilson that Beck would probably want on the field. Harrison Jr. was traded to the Houston Texans a few weeks ago, and Wilson will miss the remainder of the season with a neck fracture. Oh well, at least there's tight end Trey McBride. My guess is Beck will target him about 15 times. I know I would.
Yeah, it's going to be trial by fire for all involved with the Cardinals offense. But you can only control the things that you can control, and through Beck's extensive college experience and leading the Hurricanes to the CFP Championship game, he has shown that he's built for the challenge.
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