Cardinals' QB Problem Is Nowhere Near as Bad as You Think

ARIZONA — The Arizona Cardinals quarterback situation is being called one of the worst in the NFL.

It's tough to overlook the uphill battle Arizona faces this season. After firing head coach Jonathan Gannon and releasing former No. 1 overall pick Kyler Murray, the Cardinals — stuck in the league's toughest division — aren't projected to do much in 2026.

Jacoby Brissett, back in the saddle after his holdout, leads the way with veteran backup Gardner Minshew and rookie Carson Beck behind. Brissett and Minshew are on one-year deals while the third-round pick in Beck was injured for most of preseason with playing time unknown for the regular season.

The Athletic: Cardinals Have One of NFL's Worst QB Situations

It's not the prettiest, surely. The Athletic made that known when ranking the team's quarterback situation the third-worst in the league only behind the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns.

"If you’re in a situation where you not only have Brissett holding out over a contract dispute but, as a team, you decide to give in to his demands, things are not going well. In fairness to Arizona, it didn’t appear the Cardinals had any intention of fielding high-level quarterback play this season," wrote Saad Yousuf.

LaFleur's offense has been nothing short of exciting this offseason, providing a glimpse of hope and perhaps a massive breath of fresh air from prior play-caller Drew Petzing. LaFleur's unit looks strong regardless of who is operating the offense under center, and players' comments on the new system indeed matches the eye test.

Still, the conversation seems to shift around Brissett — who isn't as polarizing as Murray once was here in the desert, though fans are often split. There seems to be a rush to put Beck into action sooner as opposed to later thanks to a mix of public opinion on Brissett and purely wanting to evaluate Beck ahead of a potentially loaded 2027 draft class.

However, Brissett is more suitable than people give him credit for.

Jacoby Brissett Isn't as Bad as You Think

While the overall outlook of the Cardinals' quarterback picture is murky for the future, Brissett projects as a fine quarterback to steady the ship in 2026.

The problem with Brissett is his ceiling — he's not the type of quarterback to will a team to victory. He doesn't do anything at an extremely high level and won't keep coordinators up at night with any potential to scare defenses.

The good news? LaFleur's offense doesn't need hero ball. It needs a quarterback to simply make smart decisions and keep the offense humming on schedule.

Brissett's profile does fit just that. It's impossible to ignore the elephant in the room with Brissett's career highs in passing yards and touchdowns last season: Arizona was getting blown out, and the Cardinals consistently were throwing the ball in an attempt to keep pace.

Last season, nobody attempted more passes than the Cardinals.

With that acknowledged, it's obvious players such as Michael Wilson and Trey McBride loved having Brissett under center after both reached 1,000-yard seasons. Brissett's experience allows him to make reads quickly and mostly efficiently — his 1.6% interception percentage of throws sat just outside of the top ten for quarterbacks last season.

The Cardinals' QB Reality is Clear

Brissett certainly was limited in his own respects last season. In fact, he was only supposed to be a backup for Murray — which is what his two-year contract reflected when signing ahead of 2025. If he starts every game this season, it will be just the first time since 2017 where he started and ended the season in that seat.

Unlikely? Sure, but probably not for the reasons you think.

For as much as Brissett fell short in potential and ceiling as a player, a significant lack of run game mixed with one of the league's worst defenses down the stretch of last season snowballed into something no quarterback in the league could overcome.

We also have to acknowledge some of the Brissett slander online was a result of Murray effectively being "soft benched" by the Cardinals after his injury.

A new and improved play-caller and revamped rushing attack should make for a smoother operation. However, the NFL's toughest schedule and a mostly same returning unit from the Cardinals' defense will provide a similar challenge for Brissett.

We also have to acknowledge Beck's presence in the quarterback room. It's tough to think Arizona, who will face one of the biggest decisions in recent franchise history next offseason at quarterback, will make such a heavy judgement with only one preseason game of Beck's play.

Brissett is not a great enough quarterback to overcome many of the aforementioned challenges that lie ahead. In the same boat, he's also not an unprepared or incompetent quarterback like plenty outside of the facility paint him to be.

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