The Arizona Cardinals are still navigating the preseason injury picture, and Carson Beck remains part of that conversation.
Beck, who was dealing with a ribs injury from the Hall of Fame Game, was a late scratch before Thursday’s preseason game in Las Vegas even after getting work in throughout the week. The Cardinals had hoped it was mostly a cautionary move, but head coach Mike LaFleur said the rookie is still feeling it.
"It's day by day. Full transparency, the discomfort's still just kind of there.
So [we're] just wanting to let him heal a little bit more and when we're ready to go, we're ready to go. It's not going to be long term, like I said, but that's where we're at," LaFleur said on Beck.
Arizona liked what it saw from the third-round pick before the injury became an issue. In preseason action, Beck went 15 of 19 for 188 yards and a touchdown.
Given how careful the Cardinals have been with injuries, it would not be surprising if Beck is held out of the final two preseason games against the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers. After he missed the Las Vegas game, LaFleur made clear the team wasn’t alarmed.
"Tough dude. No concern level really. If this would have been flag football or seven-on-seven, we would have trotted him out there, and he could have thrown," LaFleur said.
"He just had discomfort, and it's one of those things I was actually talking to [Matthew] Stafford about, and that sometimes a few days later, it feels a little bit worse. Being the preseason, I just didn't want to risk it.
I know it was kind of a bummer for our fan base, and you guys, and me, and all of us, because we want to see these guys out there, but it was what it was. We thought that was in the best interest to make sure that we sat him back."
The next step is simply seeing how Beck responds this week. If he doesn’t make meaningful progress, the Cardinals probably won’t push him onto the field Saturday night.
That leaves Arizona with another preseason question to answer. Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew are likely to sit against Green Bay in the finale, so the Cardinals have to decide whether their veterans should play Saturday - and how Beck’s status factors into that plan.
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