The Arizona Cardinals got past the Kyler Murray equation, and newly minted head coach Mike LaFleur settled on having Jacoby Brissett lead this franchise going forward. The team then brought in an experienced backup in Gardner Minshew to go along with developmental QB Kedon Slovis.
And then GM Monti Ossenfort took the University of Miami quarterback Carson Beck in the third round of last month’s NFL draft.
RELATED: BRISSETT WILL BE THE CARDINALS’ STARTING QUARTERBACK IN 2026
Friday begins the rookie
mini-camp slated for May 8-9 for rookies, tryout players, and undrafted free agents hoping to receive a training camp contract. And while most of the fans and media attention will be on running back Jeremyiah Love, all eyes will be on Beck to see what Arizona actually has in this young arm.
Being selected with the first pick in Round 3 when so many of this year’s quarterbacks were still on the board means that Beck was hand-picked by LaFleur. Beck was only the third quarterback picked when he got the phone call. Ossenfort may have the intel on players’ stats, scouting reports, and personal interaction at the Senior Bowl, Combine, as well as the ’30 visits, but this is LaFleur’s expertise: the offense.
And a QB taken in the first three rounds usually means he is viewed as starter material. Probably not this year, and maybe even the next. But in the back of LaFleur’s mind, Beck will one day trot out in Week 1 and lead this offense. His offense.
Beck is just 18 months from surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. Because the Cardinals’ rookie is a right-handed passer, extra care and time were allotted for his healing process.
Beck told Josh Weinfuss of ESPN Arizona:
“My arm feels great. It has for a while now, but I think really being able to hone in and have an offseason to train and focus on it compared to the year before, where I have the surgery, I’m rehabbing, I’m trying to learn a new offense, you’re really not able to focus on those kinds of like small, minute details. I think that has really helped being able to have this offseason.”
The injury occurred in the 2024 SEC Championship Game while he was with the University of Georgia. It was the last play before the half, his skin and ligaments were torn off the bone as he headed into the locker room. Georgia was one win away from the National Championship with Beck at the helm.
It is probably the worst injury a quarterback can possibly have.
Beck discussed the injury and the aftermath:
“You want to tell yourself, always, it’s going to be fine. It’s just going to take time. You just have to trust the process, and you have a lot of really, really good people around you that are going to help you get back to where you were. But then it’s two months in, and you still haven’t thrown a football, and you’re sitting there, and it’s hard for you mentally.”
The rehab process began. He was hopeful, diligent, persistent, and focused on getting back to the game that he loved.
But would he be the same? Would his throwing motion change? What about velocity? Grip? The fear of getting walloped again?
His rehab was in his hometown of Jacksonville, Florida. At some point, as his arm and grip strength began to return, his instructions were to start throwing short passes. After two weeks, he was told to start adding some speed to his throws.
Thoughts of seeing his bare bones and skin shredding off came into his head as he began to heave some intermediate passes with some spin behind it.
Beck (6’-4”, 215 pounds) explained that stage of his rehab:
“It [was] hard to get over that mental hump and mental barrier. But they’re like, ‘Just let one rip.’ And I just went full go, and my arm was fine, and I was like, ‘All right, I’m going to be good.”
Was all of this worth it? What if his arm strength didn’t return?
He did return, but this time in South Beach, playing for Miami in the ACC. His new team was already good, but needed an experienced signalcaller. Beck had been part of two National Championship teams while with Georgia, so he knew what a winning culture was like.
The 2025 Miami Hurricanes finished 11-2-0 that included impressive wins over Notre Dame, Florida, Texas A&M, and Florida State. Their two losses were by a combined score of nine points. Next up, the College Football Playoff and an unexpected win over #2 Ohio State followed by a victory over #6 Ole Miss that placed them in the National Championship Game versus #1 Indiana, a 27-21 heartbreaking loss.
With Miami, Beck started all 16 games and had 338 completions on 467 attempts for 3,813 yards with 30 TDs against just 12 interceptions. His 72.4% completion ratio led the conference.
LINK: GET TO KNOW QB CARSON BECK
And now, here he is in a Cardinals uniform. Beck realizes that this is just another step in his football journey:
“I think, for me, the most important thing is A, get in the building. I started meeting with the coaches and going over the playbook and learn the guys around me, build relationships, start to connect with them, be myself, and then just go play ball, have fun, enjoy the process. But, again, just try to improve and get better each and every day. And if I continue to do that, I think we’ll see where that takes you.”
And unless something really drastic happens, Beck sees the veteran leadership ahead of him and has come to realize that sitting and learning for a solid season will have its perks for his career.
“Just talking to guys around the facility, just trying to get all the little breadcrumbs that I can from each and every person. But, again, everybody wants to play football, especially at the position of quarterback. You want to be the guy out there.”
This weekend’s mini-camp won’t show much, but it does get the ball rolling for rookies like Beck.
