At 3-6, the Arizona Cardinals are hoping for a fresh start and more success the rest of the season. As part of that hope, they are turning to rookie Carson Beck, granting their 2026 third-round draft pick an opportunity after a myriad of benching and injuries in front of him on the depth chart.
Carson Beck Will Get His Opportunity to Prove Himself to the Cardinals
The Cardinals officially named Beck as their starting quarterback for this coming Sunday’s game on Wednesday. Beck’s shot to lead the Cardinals comes following veteran Gardner Minshew suffering a season-ending UCL injury this past week during a loss to the Seahawks in Seattle.
Arizona drafted the former University of Georgia Bulldog and University of Miami (FL) Hurricane with the 65th overall section in the third-round in April. And unlike quarterbacks drafted in earlier rounds, there’s no telling how long of a leash the Cardinals will give Beck or what his play will do to their view of him as part of the franchise’s future.
One of the winningest college quarterbacks in history, Beck put up a resume that will likely land him in the College Football Hall of Fame. However, scouts and NFL Draft experts voiced a concern about if his game would translate to the next level. He now will have a chance to prove them wrong and even prove to Arizona that they don’t need to turn to look for another quarterback in the 2027 draft.
Beck Spent Most of His College Career at Georgia Before Transferring to Miami
For some background on Beck’s college career, he started off as a redshirt, became a serviceable backup on two national championship teams and then took the college football world by storm with Georgia in 2023. It was in that season that Beck completed an eye-popping 72.4% of his passes, threw for 3,941 yards and ran for 116 more while scoring a total of 28 touchdowns with just six interceptions. He would follow that season by throwing for 3,485 yards and tossing 28 touchdowns in 2024. Beck was 24-3 as Georgia’s starting quarterback before transferring to Miami (FL).
Beck wrapped up his college career by guiding the Hurricanes all the way to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game. He matched his elite efficiency from his 2023 campaign with the Bulldogs with the same exact completion clip and threw for 3,813 yards with a career-high 30 touchdowns.
Former Georgia Star Carson Beck to Receive Major NFL Opportunity With Cardinals