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Carson Beck may start for Arizona in year one.

The Arizona Cardinals enter 2026 with one of the most difficult schedules in the league. Couple that with a rookie coach, an unsettled quarterback situation, and things could turn sour relatively quickly. 

Despite a holdout, the Cardinals maintain that Jacoby Brissett will be QB1 this season. Barring anything unexpected, he’s likely to take the first snap in week one, but how long before Arizona turns to rookie Carson Beck if things aren’t going according to plan?

Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report took a stab at predicting when Beck will see the field, and it may be much later than fans expect. 

“This is realistically another rebuild year for a team that went 3-14 last season and is winging it with two low-ceiling veteran quarterbacks in 2026,” wrote Gagnon. 

“That likely means they eventually give Beck a shot so that they have a better feel for what they have before determining how to approach free agency and the draft at the quarterback position, but you’d have to imagine they’d wait for Brissett and/or Minshew to pretty much sink the ship first. 

It’s possible that happens in October or November, but between Week 5 and Week 13 they have the Lions, Rams, Broncos, Cowboys, Seahawks, Rams, Chiefs, Commanders and Eagles. 

My money’s on them giving Beck his first start in a low-pressure home environment following their Week 14 bye.”

When Could the Cardinals Turn to Carson Beck at Quarterback?

After missing out on the Ty Simpson sweepstakes, the Cardinals took Beck in the third-round of this year’s draft. He’s fresh off a National Championship game where Miami fell to Indiana, and at 24, has plenty of experience. So in potentially a lost year, why not see what they have in him?

Brissett isn’t a long-term option, but presents the Cardinals best chance to win games in 2026. Still, if the season starts slipping away thanks to an impossibly brutal schedule, Arizona may let the rookie get a chance to show his stuff. 

Letting Beck take a crack at in week 15 after the bye could be the best scenario for both him and the team to see how they should handle the 2027 offseason. 

Is the Cardinals Season Doomed No Matter What?

Arizona is an underdog in every single one of their games this season, and after losing 14 games in 2025, 2026 doesn’t project to be much better. Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton thinks Arizona will end up with a top draft pick no matter who starts at quarterback. 

“Arizona may turn to rookie third-rounder Carson Beck if its season goes off the rails, and it will by November. The Cardinals will have one of the worst records this year, though the payoff will be a top-two pick that lands them a potential franchise quarterback in next year’s draft.”

Unless Beck showcases some elite ability in year one, the Cardinals seem destined to use their first pick on a QB in 2027. Still, Arizona would be doing themselves a disservice to not at least see what the former Miami signal-caller has by putting him out there for a few games. 

Trevor Ripley Trevor Ripley is a Heavy writer covering the Minnesota Vikings, Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals. More about Trevor Ripley