The QB was poised in the pocket behind a backup offensive line, never looking rattled. He showed excellent touch downfield and wasn’t afraid to fit the pigskin into tight windows. Beck might not sport the biggest howitzer, but he was pinpoint accurate, displayed an ability to stay on target from multiple arm angles, didn’t panic under pressure, and was wholly a field general.
“It’s the same guy that I felt like you saw watching the tape,” LaFleur said. “This was a really cool environment. I’m glad that we got to play in this, and you never know if you’re ever going to be able to play in one of these again. So, albeit a preseason game, it doesn’t count in the win-loss, but it was a cool environment for him to just kind of, you know, ‘Hey, it’s just another game’, and that’s the way he took it, and he’s been in big ones.”
The performance against players who likely won’t be on a roster in a month shouldn’t be overblown. It was a good performance from Beck, who confirmed the Cardinals’ priors and showed he wouldn’t implode. It’s a building-block performance for the third-round pick.
Beck’s play shouldn’t have any effect on Jacoby Brissett’s grip on the opening day starting gig. However, the rookie could push Gardner Minshew for the backup role with similar positive performances in the preseason. Beck’s play, if it continues on this trajectory, could move up the timeline in which we expect the Cardinals to give him a shot as the starter if things get off to a rocky start in 2026.