Carson Beck Is Out — Now Every Cardinals QB Can Make a Statement vs. Raiders

ARIZONA — Carson Beck, due to a ribs injury, will not be playing in tonight's preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders.

The rookie quarterback is being held out as a precaution, as the Arizona Cardinals don't want to risk any further injury to a passer that's generated plenty of buzz lately. The injury isn't considered to be long-term — you can read more about that here.

In the short term, however, Arizona will rely on their trio of Jacoby Brissett, Gardner Minshew and Kedon Slovis tonight against the Raiders. While no massive amount of change will be brought tonight, there is something to gain for each quarterback at Allegiant Stadium:

Jacoby Brissett Can Quiet The Noise

Brissett negotiated with the Cardinals all offseason before finally landing a new, restructured deal that will pay him $15 million guaranteed with no additional years left on his contract.

While Brissett was out, he missed valuable time in terms of learning LaFleur's offense with on-field reps while also rubbing the fan base the wrong way with his absence after the Cardinals went just 1-11 under his watch.

Meanwhile, Beck has gained traction after flashes in training camp and a stellar preseason debut. Some are calling for the rookie to start over Brissett.

That won't happen, at least not right away, but Brissett does hold the potential to quiet the noise surrounding his job with a strong outing with the Cardinals' starters. They're only playing a drive or two, but if Brissett does his job, perhaps he can turn some of that heat down.

Gardner Minshew Can Solidify No. 2 Spot

If the season started at this moment, Minshew would be the unquestioned backup to Brissett. The veteran free agent addition is your classic gun-slinger under center and is willing to take chances with the ball in his hands. It's exciting at times, though can lead to turnovers.

Beck is expected to play at some point this season. Exactly when depends on how ready he is and how bad the Cardinals and/or Brissett are performing. It could be sooner, or it could be later.

Minshew, at least to begin the season, can really plant his flag as the team's No. 2 option with strong preseason play as opposed to Arizona rolling out a rookie quarterback.

While there's still hope early in the regular season, the Cardinals will still be seriously looking to keep themselves competent and alive. Minshew wants to be that guy, for as much as Beck is knocking on that door.

Kedon Slovis Earns More Reps

Unfortunately for Slovis, his departure from Arizona is coming. It's been written on the wall for months now after Beck and Minshew were added. He was practicing with the third team, but Brissett's emergence back at training camp now has relegated Slovis to a bystander during team drills.

That means Slovis needs to impress in the preseason action the Cardinals do see from him. He did so last week, completing nine-of-ten passes for 106 yards and a touchdown. Now, without Beck in the picture, Slovis is set to see a bit more run than he would have initially got.

That's huge, as Slovis will have extra opportunity to put good tape out there for the other 31 teams to evaluate. That's the beauty of preseason: players still need to play well in their effective audition for other teams.

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