Cardinals move into another phase of season with Gardner Minshew, Carson Beck decisions

TEMPE — The Arizona Cardinals made a momentous change for the outlook of their 2026 season on Sunday and into Monday, not only with the decision to keep Gardner Minshew as the starting quarterback but also to move rookie Carson Beck into the backup role over Jacoby Brissett.

This next phase of the season will allow the Cardinals to ride the hot hand after Minshew led them to a dramatic win against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday while moving the ball down the field with Beck.

The rookie will get more reps in practice, as the Cardinals are closer to seeing what they have in the third-rounder before needing to make significant organizational decisions next offseason.

Beck has been the emergency third quarterback on game days all season, as Brissett started the opening eight games and Minshew backed him up. If games were out of hand, the Cardinals did not give themselves the option to throw Beck in for exposure, but that thinking now changes.

“Obviously it’s just behind the scenes, nothing that you guys see, but I know he’s prepared to go in there if need be,” head coach Mike LaFleur said of Beck on Monday. “He, just like Gardner, just like anyone you ask that’s going to be on this team, they’re prepared as if they’re going to be the starting quarterback.

“I know he has full grasp of this game plan, of this system. It’s no secret, if something were to happen, it’d be nice to know what we got right there. I feel really good about where he is with his development, and so if that were to come up, then obviously he’d be the next one in.”

Arizona is roughly halfway through the season with nine games left, notably one more before the trade deadline.

LaFleur said his offense needed a spark on Sunday while trailing 17-3. The Cardinals were staring down a third straight game of failing to reach 20 points, so the head coach said he listened to his gut.

Minshew threw for 188 yards and three touchdowns after entering the game late in the third quarter, as a banged up offense found new life both in the running game and the pass attack.

“It was not all on (Brissett), this was a collective (effort) and it started with me,” LaFleur said. “But the position those guys signed up for, we know the deal. And we needed a spark. Obviously, Gardner gave us one.”

In a season that has felt like a waiting game in certain respects, Monday’s announcement provides a sense of direction.

The Cardinals improved to 3-5 on Sunday, and Minshew’s performance showed he gives the team its best chance to win moving forward.

Win a couple more games in the upcoming weeks, and the Cardinals could make a surprising entrance into the postseason conversation.

Lose, and the path to give Beck an opportunity to prove whether he has potential to start games for Arizona beyond this season becomes clear.

The Cardinals have a very tough slate coming up with games at the Seattle Seahawks, against the Los Angeles Rams and at the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 11. After that, the Cardinals do not play a team currently above .500 until Week 18.

Perhaps Week 12 will be the next inflection point for the quarterback position.

“The plan is to try to be 1-0 this week, and that’s really the whole focus,” LaFleur said when asked about Beck’s future. “So he’ll obviously get an uptick in reps, he was splitting the reps with Minshew. … It’s great work for him. But again, our focus is only on this week and not focused on anything long-term.”

LaFleur spoke to all three quarterbacks about the decision on Monday, saying Brissett took it like a pro.

Brissett’s time throwing the ball for Arizona is apparently over, and whether or not he remains on the roster post trade deadline becomes something to watch over the next eight days.

The head coach also talked to several non-quarterbacks, explaining that he is not worried this will have any negative impact on the locker room.

The upcoming weeks will be difficult given the strength of opponents and injuries that have continued to pile up for this offense.

Minshew may be a journeyman veteran and likely not the long-term answer at quarterback, but he adds some fresh energy to the operation. At the very least, Cardinals fans get an idea of where this situation is headed, one way or another.

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