NFL Network: Cardinals' Gardner Minshew likely needs season-ending elbow surgery; Carson Beck in line to start

By Google News Sports · 2026-11-10T00:01:18+01:00

Round and round the Arizona Cardinals' quarterback carousel goes. Gardner Minshew is seeking additional medical opinions to confirm that he will need season-ending surgery on a torn UCL in his throwing arm, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport and ESPN's Adam Schefter reported.

Minshew appeared to suffer the injury on a strip-sack by Dante Fowler in the closing moments of the second quarter during Sunday's 17-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. He stayed in to finish out the game with 166 yards on 21-of-30 passing.

Should Minshew require surgery that puts him on the bench for the duration of the 2026 campaign, third-round rookie Carson Beck would be in line to start in Week 10 against the Los Angeles Rams and moving forward.

Though two undrafted rookies have logged starts this season -- the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Jalon Daniels and Baltimore Ravens' Joe Fagnano -- Beck would become the first signal-caller from the 2026 draft class to make a start, ahead of first-rounders Fernando Mendoza (Las Vegas Raiders) and Ty Simpson (Rams). Minshew's injury continues a period of constant change in Arizona.

The Cardinals completed a trade sending Jacoby Brissett, the team's starter for the first eight games, to the Baltimore Ravens on Friday. Three days later, they could be on to QB No. 3.

Though it is a certainly an unorthodox path to giving the rookie a shot, Arizona currently sits at the bottom of the NFC West with a 3-6 record, so it's beneficial at this point to see what the club has in Beck, who threw for 11,725 yards, 88 touchdowns and 32 interceptions in a long college career that included five seasons at Georgia and a final one with Miami (Florida).

He appeared only in the Pro Football Hall of Fame game during the preseason due to injuries hampering him thereafter, but he did shine in the one outing, going 15 of 19 for 188 yards and a touchdown. His next test will be far tougher, perhaps the most unfriendly way one could be welcomed to the NFL. With No.

1 wide receiver Michael Wilson out for the rest of the season due to a neck injury, Beck will make his debut against the terrifying defensive line duo of Aaron Donald and Myles Garrett, the latter of whom returned from injured reserve in Week 9 with a three-sack statement. How he performs against L.A. and throughout the second half of the season could play a major factor in Arizona's future QB plans.

Originally published by Google News Sports