What Happened to Carson Beck? A Look at Why Cardinals Rookie Is Not Playing in Preseason Week 1 vs. Raiders

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Beck looked really good in the Hall of Fame Game last Thursday night against the Carolina Panthers. Beck, though, will not be playing on Thursday night against the Las Vegas Raiders.

That is disappointing, as NFL fans might have wanted to see Beck go up against Raiders rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza.

The last time Beck and Mendoza faced off with one another was last season in the College Football Playoff National Championship, where Mendoza led the Indiana Hoosiers to a national championship.

Beck has been ruled out of tonight’s game for the Cardinals due to a rib injury. It puts a dent in his efforts to get on the field and impress his teammates and Arizona fans a little bit more.

It should be noted that Beck took part in practices throughout the week for the Cardinals.

But a report from NBC Sports indicated that Arizona coaches decided to keep him out of the game at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

“Beck was able to practice all week through soreness from the injury, which is not considered serious,” the report noted. “But the team has elected to keep him out of tonight’s game as a precaution.”

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Against the Panthers last Thursday night, Beck completed 15-of-19 passes for 188 yards and a touchdown.

Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur has other options at quarterback on Thursday night. They include Jacoby Brissett, Gardner Minshew, and Kedon Slovis. Other starters who appear to be healthy enough to play will see time on the field, too.

In 16 games played last season for the Miami Hurricanes, Beck threw for 3,813 yards, 30 touchdowns, and just 12 interceptions in leading Miami into the national championship game. Beck had a 72.4% completion percentage, averaged 8.2 yards per pass play, and 238.2 passing yards per game at Miami.

He transferred to the Hurricanes for his final college football year after starring at Georgia for head coach Kirby Smart. According to PFN’s CFB QB Impact Metric, he posted an impact score of 83.3 in 2025, ranking 36th in the country.

The team would love for Beck to step in and take over at the QB1 spot from Jacoby Brissett. Hopefully, the rookie can heal from his rib injury and get back out there for the team’s next preseason game in a week.

This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.