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Arizona Cardinals rookie Carson Beck is aware of the team's quarterback competition, but wants to keep his focus on improving.

In his first season as the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals, Mike LaFleur has a major decision to make. Who’s the starting quarterback?

Coming into the offseason, it looked like that would be Jacoby Brissett. However, he would miss a large portion of the offseason looking for a new contract. That left the door open for Gardner Minshew and Carson Beck to start battling for playing time at quarterback.

For Beck, this is his first taste of a quarterback battle in the NFL, and he’s widely seen as the third option for the Cardinals. Still, it’s an opportunity to earn professional playing time all the same.

Arizona Cardinals Rookie Carson Beck is Focused on Improving, Not QB Battle

While Carson Beck has plenty of college experience, he’s still a rookie in the NFL. So, he’s trying to focus on improving as a player, rather than winning the quarterback battle itself.

“I think it’s easy to look down the road. It’s easy to want certain things without putting the work in behind the scenes and focusing on the little things that you have to do right to be able to actually get into that position. But you can miss out on the opportunity. So, having that mindset is important,” Beck said to Cardinals Corner.

“The biggest thing for me is, how can I be the best Carson Beck that I can be? The best version of Carson Beck that when an opportunity or my name is called on that I’m ready for that and that I can ultimately have success and put my best foot forward. Ultimately, at the end of the day, the goal is to win. That’s what football is about. … Whatever I have to do to … help our team do that and whatever role that might be is what I’m here to do.”

The Cardinals are in a position this year where there aren’t many expectations for them on the field. That could give all of the quarterbacks an opportunity to earn playing time throughout the course of the season. Beck is interesting, in particular, because of how his play could help Arizona judge its needs in future NFL Drafts.

Cardinals HC Mike LaFleur on the Quarterback Battle

The quarterback battle is a difficult decision for first-year Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur to navigate. At the same time, he has worked to insist that it’s not a concern right now.

“I’m not really concerned about QB1 right now,” LaFleur said. “I’m concerned about these guys reporting (to training camp). Really, I’m concerned about them for the next 40 days and what they are doing … you can’t take steps backwards, and that’s not just the quarterbacks. That’s all these guys.”

It’s true that the Cardinals do have time to figure out their quarterback situation. So, by no means does LaFleur have to have made his decision in the middle of June.

“We don’t play again until September,” LaFleur said. “It is June whatever-it-is. Not worried about (the QB depth chart) right now.”