Arizona Cardinals rookie quarterback Carson Beck made a notable debut during the Hall of Fame Game against the Carolina Panthers on Thursday, completing 15 of 19 passes for 188 yards and one touchdown. The 24-year-old appeared in the second half of the Cardinals' opening preseason matchup.
Beck's start marked his first professional game action after being selected by Arizona in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft. He was slated to be the team's third-string quarterback behind Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew II, but was given the starting role when both veterans were held out of the game.
"I had no clue I was going to start," Beck told ESPN. "I really didn’t have any expectations of going into any of this. ... But, yeah, I’m looking forward to it. I’m really excited."
Beck entered the draft as a two-time national champion with the University of Georgia and led his previous team to the championship game last season. Some analysts expressed surprise when he was not selected until the third round, with some speculation pointing to his "loner" personality as a potential factor.
An AFC coordinator described Beck as "a big kid, very smart, another guy that’s well prepared from the neck up." The coordinator also noted Beck possesses "a big enough arm" and "marginal athlete" ability, with good pocket navigation and a knack for minimizing bad plays and sacks. The coordinator suggested Beck's floor is "a good backup" and that he would be surprised if Beck did not become a low-end starter.
During his final college season, Beck threw for 30 touchdowns against 12 interceptions, leading the ACC with 338 completions. He led his team to the College Football Playoff final, where they lost to an undefeated opponent. Beck took responsibility for the final interception in that game, telling reporters, "For it to end like that is hard. It’s really tough, especially to battle the way that we did in the second half. To have a chance to win at the end, it says a lot about us. But to lose it — it really hurts."