Cardinals mailbag: Will James Conner play in 2026?

It’s crazy what an Arizona Cardinals win can do.

After being flooded with leadership questions in last week’s Arizona Sports Cardinals mailbag, we’re back to some more regularly scheduled programming.

Who has the advantage against the Denver Broncos this week? Where is James Conner at in his recovery? And where the heck is Carson Beck?

Let’s dive into all that and more:

Arizona Cardinals Week 7 mailbag

Bryan A.: Besides a quarterback, who are two players (one on each side of the ball) that are positioned for favorable matchups this Sunday?

TD: I’m looking at someone in the run game popping this week. Sadly, it’s not Jeremiyah Love as he is heading for his second game missed in as many weeks with an ankle issue.

While Denver is a top-10 unit against the pass, it’s giving up the second-most yards per game to opposing running backs through six weeks at 139.8.

I loved what Bam Knight put on tape last week and think he could be in for another solid day splitting reps with Tyler Allgeier.

Defensively, I’m rolling with Budda Baker.

The heat-seeking missile paces all Cardinals in sacks with 3.5 and doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon.

Arizona needed to manufacture more pressure from somewhere. Baker is bringing that.

And with quarterback Bo Nix averaging more time to throw than when pressure gets to him, there’s plenty of opportunity for Baker (and others) to get home on Sunday.

Brick Mustang: Why isn’t Gardner Minshew in the conversation to get snaps? The fanbase has been fairly vocal about their disappointment in Jacoby Brissett, and going 0-for-5 against L.A. in the red zone has not helped calm the concerns voiced over the last 6 weeks.

TD: For what it’s worth, I did ask Mike LaFleur about why he didn’t turn to Minshew in the Detroit blowout. He said they wanted to get more work in with Jacoby Brissett and some of the new additions to the lineup.

Still, I would have liked to see someone not named Brissett get a look late in that one. And with rookie Carson Beck listed as the inactive emergency quarterback, it wasn’t going to be him.

Even if Arizona was sticking with Brissett as the starter, Minshew could have easily showcased some of his skills for a potential trade down the line.

After last week’s win, it’s firmly Brissett’s job for now.

Even if that thinking changes and more losses pile up, Beck is likely the next man up given what they need to see out of the rookie before the NFL Draft rolls around.

Also, Minshew and Brissett are free agents after this year. Might as well go with someone you know is sticking around long term (or at least under contract) if things go haywire in 2026.

Johnny R: Has there been any interest in Uncle Rico (Minshew) from teams like Philadelphia who are looking for QB help?

TD: As I was saying to Brick, Arizona missed out on an opportunity to at least display Minshew’s skillset two weeks ago.

Even with him not getting any reps, I believe he’s on teams’ radar.

Philadelphia should absolutely be looking into Minshew as an option after Jalen Hurts’ season-ending prognosis, especially given his two-year stint with the Eagles from 2021-22. The familiarity is there.

Robert Mason: Will the Cardinals do right by Budda Baker and trade him to the Buffalo Bills?

TD: If the Cardinals would have kept the losing streak going with another lopsided loss, I think the Baker trade chatter would have reached another level.

That being said, Arizona got the win, and Baker has been integral to the team’s defensive success. The biggest positive to his game right now is his ability to get to the quarterback. He’s leading the team in sacks with 3.5 through six weeks.

That kind of production can go a long way in helping get the defense back on track consistently.

It can also help up the trade value if the losses stack back up as Arizona navigates a gauntlet of a schedule.

To sum it up, if Arizona keeps winning, Baker isn’t going anywhere. If not, I think they would at least take a listen to potential offers.

Myke: Is there hope for the offensive line? Where is James Conner? Where is Tip Reiman?

TD: Rapid-fire time!

I thought the offensive line took a step forward last week against the Rams. Still plenty to clean up, but I liked the added movement in the run game.

Rookie Jayden Williams is holding his own out there at left tackle. Jon Gaines II appears to be settling in, too.

That doesn’t mean left tackle and right guard won’t still be looked at closely each and every week, especially with Zach Allen returning to Arizona this week as a Bronco.

I am wondering about Conner, too (as are a lot of fans)! He looked like he was trending toward being good to go for the season after getting some work in early on in training camp, especially after avoiding the physically unable to perform list, but that clearly wasn’t the case.

He remains on injured reserve, with LaFleur saying the running back is still working on “returning to performance.”

Given the severity of the injury, it’s not all that shocking. At this rate, though, I wouldn’t be surprised if we didn’t see him play a down in 2026.

Reiman is another one where it’s just too unclear on where the tight end currently stands in his injury recovery. Remember, it was a nasty one like Conner’s.

Like Conner, it’s all about the “return to performance.”

If he can get back in the mix, though, I think the Cardinals see a boost offensively, especially when it comes to mauling defenders.

JarJarBinx: You already know my question. When is Carson Beck starting?

TD: You’re like clockwork, JarJar!

Honestly, I think the waiting game may have extended at least another week or so — and that’s before mentioning the back issue he’s dealing with. He left practice Thursday and logged a DNP (did not participate).

Also, the team isn’t going to make a change coming off a win.

I’ve said Week 8 in Dallas since he was drafted, but with where things are at currently, that feels more and more like it won’t happen.

Realistically, we could be talking Week 10 at the earliest. Still a good amount of time to see what he’s got but won’t be double-digit starts.

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