The Arizona Cardinals will be without Carson Beck tonight against the Las Vegas Raiders after the rookie quarterback came out of last Thursday’s Hall of Fame Game with a rib injury.
Beck’s first preseason outing was a strong one. In the Cardinals’ game against the Carolina Panthers, he completed 15 of 19 passes for 188 yards and a touchdown, good for a 125.4 passer rating. That was his NFL preseason debut after being selected in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Even with that performance, the Cardinals are choosing caution. Team officials have labeled the injury non-serious, but Beck has dealt with soreness since the Hall of Fame Game and will be held out for extra recovery time. He was able to practice during the week despite the discomfort.
For now, Beck sits third on the Arizona depth chart behind starter Jacoby Brissett and backup Gardner Minshew, so every preseason snap matters for his evaluation. He has also been turning heads in training camp, adding to the sense that he could be the quarterback of the future.
The Cardinals are not expected to be a very good team in 2026, and the path to Beck seeing regular-season action would likely require either poor play or an injury from Brissett. Until then, the focus is on getting the rookie healthy and keeping his early NFL progress on track.
Beck arrived in Arizona after a strong final college season in 2025 at Miami, where he led the Hurricanes to the National Championship Game. He finished that year 338 of 467 for 3,813 yards, 30 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
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Cardinals Win Brought One Roster Concern Fans Cant Ignore
The Cardinals left Allegiant Stadium with a 27-14 preseason win over the Raiders, and there was enough on the field to like in the way Arizona pieced together scoring drives. Starting quarterback Kirk Cousins helped set the tone, and the offense had enough rhythm to make the result look comfortable by August standards.
Still, the bigger takeaway for Arizona had less to do with the final score and more to do with the roster picture. Rookie Carson Beck had already been ruled out before kickoff with a rib injury, and then Chase Bisontis went down with a left knee injury during the game, leaving his long-term outlook uncertain at a time when the Cardinals can least afford more uncertainty up front. [Read more 🡒]
Jalen Brooks Is Turning Into A Real Cardinals Roster Problem
Jalen Brooks has put himself on the Cardinals radar in a way that has been hard to ignore through the first two preseason games. The second-year wideout has already topped his production from last season, and the early returns have included sharp route running and a touchdown in the second exhibition, the kind of showing that tends to get a receiver noticed by coaches sorting through a crowded position group.
Brooks progress, though, only sharpens the roster math in Arizona. The Cardinals have competition brewing at the back end of the wide receiver room, and Brooks is right in the mix as the team tries to sort out who fits best for the regular season. Even with the momentum he has built, the decision is still unsettled, which is exactly what makes his preseason surge such an interesting subplot. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Finally Show Progress But One Rookie Concern Looms
The Cardinals got the kind of preseason response they were looking for against the Raiders, with both sides of the ball looking far more settled than they had at other points this summer. Arizona moved the ball efficiently enough to score 27 points, while the defense held up well in a 27-14 win that offered a cleaner snapshot of where the team stands heading into the final stretch of camp.
Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew each helped drive the offense with touchdown passes, giving the Cardinals a more confident rhythm under center. The only cloud came when rookie Chase Bisontis left with an apparent knee injury, a reminder that even on a night of progress, the roster picture can change quickly and the line depth remains a point worth watching. [Read more 🡒]