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Arizona Cardinals rookie quarterback Carson Beck took his opportunity to start the Hall of Fame Game on Thursday, Aug. 6, and ran with it.
Not only literally, as he did have a four-yard rush for a first down, but he had a field day as a passer. Beck completed 15 of 19 passes for 188 yards, with a touchdown pass and no turnovers. It was a performance that gave the Cardinals some good press for the first time in a long time:
"Maybe a new storyline for the Arizona Cardinals is that they're not a bunch of cheapskates," Pat McAfee, a former First-Team All-Pro punter and current ESPN host, said on The Pat McAfee Show the day after the game. "They're not a team that is literally running themselves like a bottom-of-the-basement-dwelling franchise in one of the most beautiful cities to ever be created: Phoenix, Arizona. ... And we watched Carson Beck last night look like a pro."
Beck was not listed as the starting quarterback on the Cardinals' first depth chart release, as that title went to 10-year veteran QB Jacoby Brissett. Brissett went 1-11 in games started for the Cardinals last year, however, and is only signed through 2026.
Former NFL quarterback and current NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky is already thinking about what Beck's performance meant towards possibly starting for Arizona this year:
"Carson Beck told the Cardinals last night, 'You have to consider me for the starting quarterback job sooner rather than later,' " Orlovsky told McAfee. "And I'm not jumping over Jacoby Brissett just yet, but the No. 1 thing that stands out is he never once got fooled by coverage. ... Last night it looked the ideal way you would want that to look for a guy that you would want to say; 'He needs more reps to see if we're entertaining starting him earlier than maybe our plan was."
Another ESPN NFL analyst, Chris Canty, is willing to go even further than Orlovsky.
The former Super Bowl champion defensive end thinks that in Arizona's specific situation, Beck should be the guy come Week 1 at the Los Angeles Chargers:
"When you look at the Arizona Cardinals, it makes sense for them (to start Beck) because they have minimal investment in Carson Beck," Canty said on ESPN's First Take. "He was a third-round pick, and the head coach has job security. ... He has all the tools in his bag, and when you look at the situation in Arizona, you might as well go out there and have the benefit of losing games while getting the quarterback experience."
After Canty said this, ESPN host Stephen A. Smith chimed in. In his response, Smith randomly started ripping new Cardinals offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett.
Before that, however, he did make clear that he at least liked what he saw from Beck:
"I completely agree with you," Smith said. "It depends on the situation. In his situation, yeah that's somebody you should consider throwing up in there if he's got that kind of moxy with him."
Smith did bring up some negatives to Beck's profile as a starting quarterback prospect, though.
"I haven't forgot how he looked against Louisville last year, I haven't forgot how he looked against SMU last year, I haven't forgotten what I saw in the National Championship game even though he had some good moments — obviously he had some bad moments. I was there," Smith said.
Smith is referring to Beck's three losses last year for the University of Miami Hurricanes, where Miami lost by six points or less. Beck had a TD:INT ratio of 3:7 in those three losses, and threw for under 7.8 yards per pass in each of the three games.
Those losses were still not the be-all, end-all for Smith, though, and they also weren't for Cardinals insider and former Cardinals team reporter Kyle Odegard:
"After that debut, the Cardinals must get Carson Beck on the field early this year. Need to see if he’s the guy ahead of the 2027 draft," Odegard posted on X.
The 2027 NFL Draft quarterback class is projected by many analysts to be a good one, and a class that is far better than the 2026 NFL Draft quarterback class was. If the Cardinals believe in Beck, they may be inclined to play him early. That is because as Canty said, the Cardinals are expected to lose many games this year.
If that happens, they may be picking towards the top of the 2027 NFL Draft. If that is the case, they will likely want to know what they have in Beck so that they know whether they need to draft a quarterback early or not.
On one hand, Beck's top competition for this year is a 20-45 lifetime quarterback in Brissett, who has never been a full-time starter for consecutive years in his career. On the other hand, the Cardinals just paid Brissett starter-level money for this season. ($15.5 million guaranteed with incentives to go up to $21 million.)
Regardless, Beck will need to continue playing like this throughout the preseason for a starting nod to be realistic.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Media reactions to Carson Beck's play for the Cardinals are on fire
Continue reading...
Not only literally, as he did have a four-yard rush for a first down, but he had a field day as a passer. Beck completed 15 of 19 passes for 188 yards, with a touchdown pass and no turnovers. It was a performance that gave the Cardinals some good press for the first time in a long time:
"Maybe a new storyline for the Arizona Cardinals is that they're not a bunch of cheapskates," Pat McAfee, a former First-Team All-Pro punter and current ESPN host, said on The Pat McAfee Show the day after the game. "They're not a team that is literally running themselves like a bottom-of-the-basement-dwelling franchise in one of the most beautiful cities to ever be created: Phoenix, Arizona. ... And we watched Carson Beck last night look like a pro."
Beck was not listed as the starting quarterback on the Cardinals' first depth chart release, as that title went to 10-year veteran QB Jacoby Brissett. Brissett went 1-11 in games started for the Cardinals last year, however, and is only signed through 2026.
Former NFL quarterback and current NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky is already thinking about what Beck's performance meant towards possibly starting for Arizona this year:
"Carson Beck told the Cardinals last night, 'You have to consider me for the starting quarterback job sooner rather than later,' " Orlovsky told McAfee. "And I'm not jumping over Jacoby Brissett just yet, but the No. 1 thing that stands out is he never once got fooled by coverage. ... Last night it looked the ideal way you would want that to look for a guy that you would want to say; 'He needs more reps to see if we're entertaining starting him earlier than maybe our plan was."
Another ESPN NFL analyst, Chris Canty, is willing to go even further than Orlovsky.
The former Super Bowl champion defensive end thinks that in Arizona's specific situation, Beck should be the guy come Week 1 at the Los Angeles Chargers:
"When you look at the Arizona Cardinals, it makes sense for them (to start Beck) because they have minimal investment in Carson Beck," Canty said on ESPN's First Take. "He was a third-round pick, and the head coach has job security. ... He has all the tools in his bag, and when you look at the situation in Arizona, you might as well go out there and have the benefit of losing games while getting the quarterback experience."
After Canty said this, ESPN host Stephen A. Smith chimed in. In his response, Smith randomly started ripping new Cardinals offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett.
Before that, however, he did make clear that he at least liked what he saw from Beck:
"I completely agree with you," Smith said. "It depends on the situation. In his situation, yeah that's somebody you should consider throwing up in there if he's got that kind of moxy with him."
Smith did bring up some negatives to Beck's profile as a starting quarterback prospect, though.
"I haven't forgot how he looked against Louisville last year, I haven't forgot how he looked against SMU last year, I haven't forgotten what I saw in the National Championship game even though he had some good moments — obviously he had some bad moments. I was there," Smith said.
Smith is referring to Beck's three losses last year for the University of Miami Hurricanes, where Miami lost by six points or less. Beck had a TD:INT ratio of 3:7 in those three losses, and threw for under 7.8 yards per pass in each of the three games.
Those losses were still not the be-all, end-all for Smith, though, and they also weren't for Cardinals insider and former Cardinals team reporter Kyle Odegard:
"After that debut, the Cardinals must get Carson Beck on the field early this year. Need to see if he’s the guy ahead of the 2027 draft," Odegard posted on X.
The 2027 NFL Draft quarterback class is projected by many analysts to be a good one, and a class that is far better than the 2026 NFL Draft quarterback class was. If the Cardinals believe in Beck, they may be inclined to play him early. That is because as Canty said, the Cardinals are expected to lose many games this year.
If that happens, they may be picking towards the top of the 2027 NFL Draft. If that is the case, they will likely want to know what they have in Beck so that they know whether they need to draft a quarterback early or not.
On one hand, Beck's top competition for this year is a 20-45 lifetime quarterback in Brissett, who has never been a full-time starter for consecutive years in his career. On the other hand, the Cardinals just paid Brissett starter-level money for this season. ($15.5 million guaranteed with incentives to go up to $21 million.)
Regardless, Beck will need to continue playing like this throughout the preseason for a starting nod to be realistic.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Media reactions to Carson Beck's play for the Cardinals are on fire
Continue reading...
