Cardinals’ Gardner Minshew getting evaluated for arm injury, status for this week uncertain

TEMPE — There is a “possibility” that Arizona Cardinals quarterback Gardner Minshew could miss this week’s game against the Los Angeles Rams due to an elbow injury, head coach Mike LaFleur said on Monday.

Minshew will undergo tests between Monday and Tuesday to determine his outlook.

Rookie Carson Beck is Arizona’s backup quarterback and would be in line to make his NFL debut if Minshew cannot play.

“We’ll know more on Wednesday,” LaFleur said.

Minshew took a shot to his throwing arm at the end of the first half on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks, as Dante Fowler Jr. got to Minshew as he was going through his throwing motion.

LaFleur said Minshew felt good enough at halftime to get back on the field. Minshew finished the game 21-for-30 with 166 yards in a 17-3 loss.

“We’re not practicing tomorrow, so we’ll know more about Gardner, which will lead us into our plan for Wednesday,” LaFleur told Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo. “The starter is the one that gets all the reps. … We’ll see with Gardner once we get these tests back.”

Minshew took over as starting quarterback from Jacoby Brissett last week, and the Cardinals traded Brissett to the Baltimore Ravens. With Minshew’s status unclear, LaFleur said the Cardinals are discussing plans to bring in more quarterback help.

Cardinals injuries piling up

LaFleur also made the announcement that wide receiver Michael Wilson will be out for the rest of the 2026 season after suffering a fracture in his neck on Sunday in Seattle.

The injury occured on the fourth play of the game, LaFleur said, and Wilson gutted it out before undergoing testing.

Center Hjalte Froholdt is in the concussion protocol, so the Cardinals will evaluate his status this week.

LaFleur did not have an update on defensive lineman Roy Lopez, who was carted to the locker room with a toe injury on Sunday.

“Like I somewhat told the guys, not to get any further than that, but a lot of opportunity for guys to go out there and show us what they got,” LaFleur said when asked about handling so many injuries. “So, where there’s setbacks, there’s setups for success, and so we’ll go from there.”

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