Gardner Minshew will miss the rest of the season with an injury to the ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing elbow, Arizona Cardinals coach Mike LaFleur said Wednesday, and rookie Carson Beck will start at quarterback when Arizona plays the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.
LaFleur described the injury as an "ulnar ligament injury" and said Minshew was scheduled for surgery Wednesday. "Yeah, Carson will be the starter," LaFleur said. Beck, a third-round pick in the 2026 draft, will make his first regular-season start at State Farm Stadium, with kickoff set for 4:05 p.m. ET.
Minshew was hurt in his first start for Arizona, a 17-3 loss at Seattle on Nov. 8. He was hit by the Seahawks' Dante Fowler late in the second quarter on what NFL.com described as a strip-sack, and he stayed in to finish the game. He completed 21 of 30 passes for 166 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions and was sacked three times, according to Arizona Sports. The Cardinals reached the red zone twice and did not score a touchdown, and Seattle outgained them 295 yards to 198.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Monday that the Cardinals feared Minshew had torn the ligament, and ESPN's Adam Schefter also reported he was likely to need season-ending surgery. Minshew sought further medical opinions before the team confirmed the outcome. ESPN's Josh Weinfuss raised the possibility of Tommy John surgery, but the club has not given details of the procedure. Minshew signed a one-year, $5.75 million contract with Arizona, according to Pro Football Rumors.
The injury completes a fast turnover at the position. Jacoby Brissett started Arizona's first eight games before the Cardinals traded him to the Baltimore Ravens, a move that promoted Minshew to the starting job for Week 9 and moved Beck from third string to backup. Pro Football Rumors noted that Arizona had no third quarterback on its roster or practice squad at that point. The Cardinals have since moved to add Josh Johnson, a 40-year-old veteran, from the Cincinnati Bengals' practice squad, according to NFL.com and Yahoo Sports. Johnson, a 2008 fifth-round pick, would be joining his 15th NFL team.
Arizona is 3-6 and last in the NFC West. The offense will also be without wide receiver Michael Wilson, who is out for the season with a neck injury, according to NFL.com.
Beck, 24, spent five seasons at Georgia and one at Miami, where he led the Hurricanes to the College Football Playoff national championship game last season. He completed 72.4 percent of his passes that year, the best mark in the ACC, for 3,813 yards with 30 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 16 games, according to Fox News. NFL.com put his college totals at 11,725 passing yards, 88 touchdowns and 32 interceptions. In the preseason Hall of Fame Game against Carolina, he completed 15 of 19 passes for 188 yards and a touchdown.
Pro Football Rumors reported that the Cardinals had planned to give Beck a look later in the season, a timetable the injury has moved up. NFL.com noted that he will be the first quarterback from the 2026 draft class to start a regular-season game. LaFleur credited the programs at Georgia and Miami for Beck's development and said he was looking forward to watching the rookie run the offense.
The Rams game opens a stretch in which Arizona will evaluate Beck as a possible part of its future at the position while trying to recover from a losing first half. The Cardinals face Los Angeles on Sunday, Nov. 15, at 4:05 p.m. ET, with Johnson expected to serve as Beck's backup.