GLENDALE, ARIZONA - OCTOBER 25: Carson Beck #19 of the Arizona Cardinals warms up before the game against the Denver Broncos at State Farm Stadium on October 25, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. The Broncos defeated the Cardinals 30-16. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Arizona Cardinals opened training camp with four good quarterback prospects. Jacoby Brissett was listed as the starter, and after the team couldn’t sign Jimmy Garoppolo for the backup role, they settled on seasoned veteran Gardner Minshew. 2025 holdover Kedon Slovis was already under contract.

Then, the team selected Carson Beck of Miami in the third round in April’s NFL Draft.

It appeared to be a solid position group.

Fast forward to this week. This room has just one of the four listed on the main roster, and is now comprised of Minshew headed to IR, a 40-year-old who collects NFL game-used helmets, and two rookies.

Journeyman Josh Johnson was signed on Monday. He has played 11 years in the NFL, despite coming into the league in 2009. He has been a roster member of 19 NFL clubs, as well as three other teams in other leagues. He has played in 50 NFL games with 11 starts and is a lifelong backup. Johnson has thrown for 2,669 career yards, which shows he is strictly a backup.

Cardinals officially named rookie QB Carson Beck their starter for Sunday’s game vs. the Rams. pic.twitter.com/AvRfj4ISvo
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 11, 2026

On the heels of inking Johnson, the front office also signed rookie Joey Aguilar off the Jacksonville Jaguars practice squad as the new QB3.

On Wednesday, Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur named his starting quarterback for the game against the Rams. His choice is Beck.

And that should be his choice.

Carson Beck… your time is NOW, kid. https://t.co/EINPxJ9Pef
— John Frascella (Football) (@NFLFrascella) November 9, 2026

Beck has been to every function Arizona offered since being drafted. Every mini-camp, every OTA, every training camp practice, and he has been situated as QB3 for his entire time as a member of the Cardinals, except for this past weekend against the Seattle Seahawks, when he was elevated as the backup.

The coaching staff needed to determine what they had in Beck this season anyway. There has been talk about how Arizona should draft a quarterback high in the 2027 NFL Draft and should be picking in the Top-10. But if Beck is suitable, why would they waste that selection on yet another rookie quarterback? Offensive and defensive lines are more positions of need.

But Beck seems ready. If you ask him, he was ready Week 1 to step in.

What a choice for the youngster to start his first official NFL game. The Cardinals defeated the Rams 18-16 in Week 6 on six Chad Ryland field goals when the offense could not finish drives. LA was supposed to be one of the NFC’s elite clubs, but has fallen to a 5-4-0 record in one of the toughest divisions in the league.

The Rams are currently on a three-game winning streak. They have beaten a lot of bad-to-mediocre teams, and lost to every good club on their schedule. This weekend, All-World EDGE rusher Myles Garrett is supposed to start his first game as a member of the Rams. He will be paired with another future gold-jacket defender, DT Aaron Donald.

That in itself is terrifying.

To add to the horrific situation, Arizona’s offensive line is missing OT Paris Johnson, who would be the perfect match to wall off Garrett. Johnson is on IR after he tore his left biceps in Week 4 and is gone for the year. The game could have been an epic battle between Superman and Batman, although Garrett can’t shoot laser beams from his eyes.

Arizona’s offensive line now consists of their third left tackle, Josh Fryar, and the return of RG Isaiah Adams. Overall, this group has struggled mightily and is ranked #31. That’s out of 32 teams for those scoring at home. They are weak at pass blocking, but that’s okay because they are also feeble at run blocking, so they have mastered consistency.

Here is more bad news. Center Hjalte Froholdt is on concussion protocol from the Seahawks game. That usually takes 10 days to get clearance, which most likely means he won’t be available for the home contest this weekend against Los Angeles. Yikes. The depth chart lists Kingsley Eguakun as his backup, who has played in seven NFL games with two starts.

Can it get any worse? Yeah, one of Beck’s main playmakers, receiver Michael Wilson, is also gone for the year. He fractured his neck on the fourth play of last weekend’s loss to Seattle but he remained in the game and finished. This comes off the heels of trading away WR Marv Harrison, plus injuries to receivers Kendrick Bourne and Jalen Brooks. Both are now on IR, spending their days rehabbing and playing “Call of Duty.”

Not piling on here, okay, we are piling on. Arizona has struggled with a running game. They rank #19 in yards gained and #19 in average yards per carry at 4.1. Rookie Jeremiyah Love is more of a distant memory and is sitting on IR. So are James Conner and Trey Benson. Tyler Allgeier is sitting in the pole position at RB, but he has been a roller coaster this year. Behind him are Bam Knight and former practice squad player Evan Hull.

After gaining 147 yards on 11 carries and scoring two touchdowns against the Dallas Cowboys, this past weekend Allgeier had just 46 yards on 17 attempts and no scores in the loss to the Seahawks. Establishing a rushing attack is critical; otherwise, the defensive linemen fly off the snap and don’t concern themselves with the running back as they head straight to the quarterback.

Is Beck ready? The more important question is: Can Beck survive his first official NFL game?

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