Gardner Minshew's Low Backup QB Ranking Doesn't Change Anything for Carson Beck

The Arizona Cardinals have quite the dilemma on their hands.

Cardinals quarterback Carson Beck (19) throws passes during organized team activities at the Cardinals Training Facility in Tempe on May 27, 2026. | Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

ARIZONA — The Arizona Cardinals' quarterback situation remains as wide open and unknown as it was the moment the offseason began, where Kyler Murray was still on the roster and nobody knew the plans of either general manager Monti Ossenfort or head coach Mike LaFleur.

Fast forward months later, where Jacoby Brissett's holdout complicates a room that added fresh faces in veteran Gardner Minshew and rookie Carson Beck.

If/when Brissett's dispute with the team ends, he's expected to be the Cardinals' starter entering 2026. Whether he finishes in the same spot remains to be seen.

That places Beck/Minshew in the passenger seat with the veteran having immediate dibs on the QB2 spot in the desert.

In SI.com's rankings of backup quarterbacks across the NFL, Minshew finished middle of the pack at No. 14:

"Minshew did struggle in his nine starts with the Raiders in 2024, but the year before, he kept the Colts’ playoff hopes alive until the season finale. He has good days and bad, like most backups, but the highs can be impressive," said Manzano.

Truthfully, Minshew is better suited to immediately take the wheel if needed. His experience and mobility should hold the room over until Beck can get his feet settled.

However, the upside of Arizona's rookie passer still lingers.

Beck's label as a third-round pick places him in a unique yet unknown territory in terms of expectations in terms of playing time. While Beck doesn't have the pressure to perform immediately as a first or second-round pick, he's also still a Day 2 selection where most players are contributors in some form or fashion.

While Minshew might be a better option for 2026, there's no doubting the Cardinals want to see what they have out of Beck for a few different reasons.

The first and obvious point: They invested a third-round pick in Beck. They'd clearly like to see what he is and how he functions at the NFL for their own evaluations.

Those evaluations will be crucial ahead of a 2027 quarterback class that is expected to hold numerous talented passers. With Arizona's future unclear at the position and projected low win total, many believe the Cardinals could dip their feet in said waters.

Yet the organization can only do so with a fair evaluation of Beck this season, which would require at very bare minimum multiple starts for their rookie quarterback this year.

Minshew makes sense now — though Beck very well could get the nod later this year, and perhaps rightfully so.