Cardinals OTA Mailbag: When Will Carson Beck Start in 2026?

ARIZONA — The Arizona Cardinals are underway for voluntary team activities in Tempe, and we're one step closer to football season.

Thanks to everybody for all of the questions on the recent mailbag post — if you haven't done so, drop a follow on X so you can participate in the next one.

By what week do you think Nick Rallis would be fired if the defense underperforms? I say Week 6. -StephenBSmith

Stephen, if that is your real name, I do think that's around a realistic timeline if the defense is indeed that bad. I would personally give him a few more weeks, though the clock is undoubtedly ticking on Rallis.

I will say Rallis was already under contract while the Cardinals interviewed other coordinators this past offseason, which I do believe was telling in their confidence. Arizona now has Teryl Austin on staff, who has plenty of DC experience and would be the interim man in charge of Rallis is sent packing.

It's a big year for Nick.

How many touches do u expect Jeremiyah Love to get? - Charles

Charles, that's a big question around here.

There's been some national people suggesting Love will near 30 touches per game. I just don't see that happening.

Arizona has a crowded running back room and LaFleur, in the short stint he was an offensive coordinator, did lean towards more of a committee approach. Fantasy football players don't want to hear that, but it's the truth.

Will Love lead the Cardinals in touches at the end of the year? Probably. If we're putting a number per game on it, I'd say maybe 15 on the conservative side? That sounds low for the third overall pick, but with Tyler Allgeier and James Conner in the mix, they're not going to rush turning Love into a workhorse immediately out of the gates.

Does Nick Rallis have enough talent on defense or is he set up to fail? - Conner

Conner, a big reason why the Cardinals were projected playoff contenders entering last season was the talent on defense. Despite Jalen Thompson and Calais Campbell departing this offseason, Arizona still has a defense that is capable (on paper) of being a unit that ranks in the top half of the league.

Quite simply, they just need to get healthy. Injuries really held the defense back last season with big hits at all three levels. It's one thing if Arizona is getting shredded when everybody is available, but when they've got me playing 40 snaps a game, it's a bit tougher to swallow.

The Cardinals' incredibly tough schedule might set Rallis up to fail more than anything.

How should the Cardinals handle this QB conundrum with Carson Beck knowing how great the '27 QB class is? - Ryan

Ryan, that's a franchise-altering thought and question right there. How they move forward next year will truly shape the organization for years to come.

It's tough because it's not as if we're going to see 17 games of Beck to evaluate his play, anyways. And even if we did, making big decisions based off just one rookie season is tough regardless of what direction you take it.

On the flip side, not seeing Beck play as much as possible will make it even tougher. The Cardinals will need to gather as much info as possible before feeling comfortable in whatever direction they move.

In a perfect world, the Cardinals just roll Beck out to see what the has and don't care about the 2026 results. Unfortunately for that crowd of people, that's not reality. The Cardinals want to win and Brissett, at least to start the year, will give them the best chance to do so.

What will likely end up happening is Beck will start a handful of games towards the end of the year (if not sooner) allowing Arizona to see him on an NFL field. If they like him? Great! They've got something to work with. If not, they've got next offseason to find their future franchise quarterback.

Be warned though, we don't know anything about the 2027 class. While it's projected to be bountiful, things change. Quickly.

When should we expect Carson Beck to play? And what about nicknames? Rise Up Red C Beck? Loser (Beck’s most famous song)? - John

First off, John Voita III does incredible Suns coverage over at Bright Side of the Sun and he's an overall solid guy. Highly recommend following him on X if you somehow don't already.

While we kind of touched on when Beck could play (maybe halfway through the season at the earliest, I expect it to come around their Week 14 bye week) the nickname game could be fun.

Rise Up Red C Beck is a good one. I've been toying with a "What The Beck" shirt idea myself, perhaps that can make some money.

Maybe he can do a "clear the Becks" celebration where he shoots a cannon off a pirate ship after throwing a touchdown by covering his ears. Idk, I'm just a dude with a laptop and a dream.

How are you liking this year’s schedule? - Ed

Ed, it's brutal. Liking this is like pretending to like pickles. If you say you like it, you're just doing it for attention.

By every metric Arizona got the short end of the stick, and they very well could be out of the playoff running before their super late bye week.

Tough matchups fill the first 13 games of the season. The end stretch is most favorable, but will the fog clear up by then? Probably not.

Do you think adding Teryl Austin to the defensive staff will help? Seems like many are overlooking that addition. - Jonathon

I'd agree, Jonathon.

We briefly touched on him in the first question, but his experience in a defensive coordinator role will be pivotal in helping Rallis guide the 2026 defense. Think of him as somebody to lean on more so than a coach who will be a key part of cooking up game-plans.

The big question around this staff was its lack of experience. Adding Austin to the defensive side of the ball was a secretly big get for a Cardinals team that has potential in that phase, and like we hinted at, Arizona does have a interim DC in the wings if it even comes down to that.

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