The Arizona Cardinals are turning to Carson Beck in Week 10, making the quarterback change official after Gardner Minshew went down in the team’s Week 9 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported Wednesday that Mike LaFleur has named Beck the starter for Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams. Fowler put it plainly: "It's Carson Beck time in Arizona.
Cardinals HC Mike LaFleur announces Beck will start for Arizona on Sunday vs. the Rams," Fowler reports. "Arizona going on its third starter in as many weeks."
That’s where Arizona is right now - shuffling through quarterbacks while injuries keep piling up around the offense. Michael Wilson and Kendrick Bourne are already out for the year, and Jeremiyah Love is also banged up. Jacoby Brissett is gone after being traded to the Baltimore Ravens, Minshew is hurt, and now Beck gets the call.
For Beck, this will be his NFL starting debut. He did get a taste of the Cardinals in the 2026 preseason, going 15 of 19 for 188 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. It was a clean showing, but Sunday is a much different assignment.
The Rams come in at 5-4 and are in desperation mode to keep their 2026 playoff hopes alive. Arizona, meanwhile, is trying to navigate a lineup that looks nothing like the one that won a couple of weeks ago.
The Cardinals do have a few pieces to lean on. Tyler Allgeier is good to go, and Bam Knight may be back from a concussion. Trey McBride is still healthy and figures to be Beck’s best target.
At receiver, though, the group is thin. Beck will be working with Reggie Virgil, Simi Fehoko, Devin Duvernay, and Harrison Wallace III. Wilson, Bourne, and Jalen Brooks are out for the season, and Marvin Harrison Jr. was traded weeks ago.
That leaves Virgil, the rookie from Texas Tech, as the likely top option. He and Beck connected a few times in the preseason, but now they’ll have to build that chemistry on the fly, with both stepping into No. 1 roles in this offense.
It’s a difficult first start, especially with Myles Garrett and Aaron Donald waiting on the Rams defense. But Beck has been handed the job, and with no one behind him on the depth chart to threaten that status, this is his offense for the rest of the season.
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The Cardinals are turning to a new face at quarterback as they try to steady things heading into a tough divisional matchup. Rookie third-round pick Carson Beck is set to get his first start in Week 10 against the Rams, a move that comes after Gardner Minshew went down with a season-ending UCL injury and left Arizona scrambling for a replacement under center.
Mike LaFleur said he believes Beck is ready for the responsibility, even with the Rams waiting on the other side. For a team trying to keep its season from slipping further, this is the kind of pivot that can either buy some time or expose just how much pressure is building around the offense. [Read more 🡒]
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