Just when everyone lost hope on Carson Beck’s NFL future, the rookie answered in the best possible way. The Arizona Cardinals’ third-string quarterback behind Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew quickly grabbed attention during his Hall of Fame Game debut against the Carolina Panthers. And his solid performance is now making him a better choice at QB1 than Brissett.

“Jacoby Brissett, your leash just got a little shorter,” former NFL DT Breiden Fehoko said on X.

Beck completed 15 of his 19 passes for 188 yards, including 148 yards and one touchdown in the first half, while finishing the game without throwing an interception or committing a turnover. Before leaving the game, Beck nearly completed another big pass to Reggie Virgil, but Isaiah Simmons knocked the ball away.

He led the Cardinals on three scoring drives of 96, 50, and 61 yards, including a 5-yard touchdown pass to Simi Fehoko. Beck left the game with 10:15 remaining in the third quarter and the score tied 17-17. Fourth-string quarterback Kedon Slovis then replaced him.

However, before the game, the Cardinals had already shown their faith in Brissett by giving him a reworked one-year contract worth $15.5 million guaranteed, with the deal rising to $21 million through incentives. Now, that might change after Beck’s solid performance.

Well, before coming to the NFL, he was already a bust quarterback. Beck struggled during the 2024 season and threw 12 interceptions. Then he suffered an elbow injury in the SEC Championship Game, which required surgery and ended his season before the CFP.

Instead of entering the NFL Draft, he transferred to Miami, where he helped lead the Hurricanes to the College Football Playoff. However, his final college game ended on a disappointing note when he threw a late interception that helped Indiana secure the national championship. After his up-and-down season, injury, and tough finish, Beck’s draft stock dropped to the third round, and many people began to doubt whether he could succeed in the NFL.

But now Carson Beck is slowly showing what he is capable of, and it’s visible in training camp too.  On August 2, Jacoby Brissett threw two interceptions because of poor reads. On the first, cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting jumped in front of a pass meant for Michael Wilson. On the second, Brissett did not see linebacker Cody Simon dropping into coverage, and Simon intercepted a pass intended for Marvin Harrison Jr.

While the first-team offense struggled, Carson Beck had his best practice of training camp. The rookie made several impressive throws, including a perfectly placed pass over a linebacker to Simi Fehoko. He then stepped through pressure in the pocket and threw a touchdown pass to Xavier Weaver. Later, Beck found Weaver again with another accurate throw near the goal line that only his receiver could catch.

Though Brissett is still projected to start on day 1, it will be interesting to see if Carson Beck can solidify his position on the team or not.