The Arizona Cardinals used a third-round pick on quarterback Carson Beck. Now, they’d like to see what they have in the rookie.
On Tuesday, the Cardinals announced that Beck will be their starting quarterback for the first preseason game of the season. That’s the Hall of Fame Game against the Carolina Panthers.
Despite the public announcement, Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur is not set to speak to the media on Tuesday. So, his exact thought process is going to have to wait a little bit. For now, though, it’s considered unlikely that either Jacoby Brissett or Gardner Minshew is going to play in the Hall of Fame Game.
That should give Beck a good runway to show the Cardinals what he can do. For LaFleur’s part, he did recently make it clear that it’s about a clean operation during the preseason.
“I want to see a clean operation and make the right play for the Cardinals in that time,” LaFleur said on Monday.
The Panthers announced that they’ll be starting Kenny Pickett. So, it looks like Cardinals fans won’t be seeing Bryce Young during the game.
Arizona Cardinals Rookie QB Carson Beck Has Had His Ups-and-Downs in Training Camp
GettyArizona Cardinals QB Carson Beck
Despite the fact that Carson Beck is starting the Hall of Fame Game for the Arizona Cardinals, there have still been some pretty big concerns that have popped up around him during Training Camp.
That has included some issues with arm strength and accuracy, which popped up at times during videos circulating online. Early reports also indicated he was struggling with some turnovers.
Theo McKenzie noted, “His worst miss of camp happened two days earlier, when he came nowhere close to finding an open Jeremiyah Love on an intermediate pass in the end zone. On Sunday, the story was similar: When attempting passes more than 10 yards downfield, Beck often missed by wide margins.”
Despite that, Beck has improved recently. LaFleur, in particular, would make a point of publicly praising his accuracy.
“I thought his accuracy is on point (Sunday),” LaFleur said. “I thought it was probably the best, and I thought I think our second and third groups have operated a pretty high clip thus far. Probably the best that they have operated in terms of just you know getting set and going. … They were mimicking the plays that we’re going to run on Thursday night, so that they have a good feel for it.”
Once actual games begin, there really isn’t anywhere to hide. So, hopefully, the Cardinals get to see something positive from Beck in the preseason.
The Cardinals are Facing Major Quarterback Questions
GettyArizona Cardinals QBs Carson Beck and Jacoby Brissett
Throughout the offseason, there have been some major questions about the plan at quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals.
The Cardinals would choose to move on from Kyler Murray, seemingly content to roll with Jacoby Brissett, who replaced Murray in the middle of last season. Then, the Cardinals also brought in veteran Gardner Minshew, who is similar in terms of career trajectory to Brissett. They’d then wait until the third round to select Carson Beck, passing up earlier opportunities to draft a quarterback.
At the same time, Brissett held out for a new contract, which he would eventually receive. Still, that contract battle did cost him time with the team while adjusting to a new offensive system.
All of this amounts to plenty of questions the Cardinals still need to answer in the long-term. In an ideal world, that could be Beck.
Cardinals Announce Plan for QB Carson Beck in Hall of Fame Game, Preseason