The Arizona Cardinals got a big reality check to keep their expectations for Carson Beck in line.
The rookie injured his ribs during the Hall of Fame game, and that will take a good chunk off his playing time this regular season.
ESPN’s Dan Graziano puts a gleam, but realistic timeline on Beck’s return.
“I could see Beck getting some December starts,” Graziano writes.
Mike LaFleur already has Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew II lined up before Beck. Still, a rookie sitting out most of the season, when every prediction is pegging the Cardinals to be out of the NFL Playoff race by then, isn’t something they invested their third-round pick for.
Carson Beck Predicted to Lose a Few Months to Rehab
And that’s not the only problem, either. Beck riding the bench for most of the year and missing out on live NFL reps completely robs the staff of a chance to evaluate whether he’s actually the reliable, long-term face of the franchise.
“The third-round pick will open the season as the third-string behind Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew II. But if and when Arizona falls out of the playoff race, the Cardinals might want to give Beck some starts to see whether he’s an option for the future or whether they need to find one in the 2027 draft,” Graziano warns.
Brissett’s already under a one-year contract as it is, so he will be out the door by 2027 unless the Cardinals hand him an extension this year.
But that doesn’t safeguard Beck’s spot if Monti Ossenfort brings in another star quarterback via the 2027 NFL Draft. Zero tape or proven snaps can easily put a rookie on the trade block if a shiny new toy falls into their lap, or relegate him to permanent backup duty just to keep the depth chart warm.
Carson Beck Loves the Competition
Beck still loves the grind, even when he’s sidelined.
“From day one, for me, I didn’t want to ease into anything, to be completely honest,” Beck said earlier in June training camp.
Back when he was not injured and still in contention for the starting job over Brissett, theoretically.
The Miami standout was putting in 13-hour workdays at the training facility, and offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett and quarterbacks coach Matt Schaub were putting in just as much effort to give him a jump start.
“It’s really cool because, obviously, Coach Schaub did it,” Beck said. “He’s been in the league. He played the position, which it’s so hard to understand what the position of quarterback is if you haven’t actually done it, right? And he has done it, he’s been there, he’s done it.”
“Coach Hackett has coached amazing quarterbacks, just such a smart mind. Coach LaFleur’s coached amazing quarterbacks, such a smart mind. So, just trying to pick their brains and just take every little inch and every little thing to add it to my repertoire and get as good and as comfortable as I can is something that I’ve done from the second I feel like I’ve stepped in the building.”
Whenever he escapes the bench and gets a shot down the stretch, all those 13-hour film sessions will have to translate fast. Otherwise, Arizona’s rookie gamble becomes an expensive swing and a miss.
Cardinals Handed Bitter Winter Timeline for Rookie Carson Beck