​The time has arrived for the Cardinals. An early birthday gift for Carson Beck, as he’s officially slated to earn the first start of his young NFL career. Beck turns 25 next week, and his opportunity in the NFL has come just in time.This comes after Jacoby Brissett‘s recent departure to Baltimore. Gardner Minshew joining the injured reserve list also contributed to this. The Brissett trade ultimately came down to his inability to give the offense traction. After his strong performance against Dallas, Minshew was announced as the starter. His time as Arizona’s starting quarterback is cut short by an injury to his throwing arm. Minshew has been placed on season-ending injured reserve with a torn UCL.Entering the fold now is third-round pick Carson Beck, making his first NFL start this weekend against the Los Angeles Rams. Carson Beck taking the reins as starting quarterback is long overdue, but he’ll have a tall task in his first appearance. The wide receiver depth is looking bleak for Arizona after Michael Wilson suffered a season-ending neck injury. With Wilson now out, the Cardinals’ wide receiver room is extremely underwhelming.Don’t expect Carson Beck’s first start to be encouraging, as the Rams’ defense is coming off a stellar performance against the Commanders. The Rams’ defense is the healthiest it’s been all season. On the contrary, the Cardinals’ offensive injuries have constantly held them back. Arizona will need to do everything they can to support Beck in his first start. Matching up against a division rival that has Myles Garrett and Aaron Donald on the other side of the ball isn’t going to be anything smooth.Cardinals officially placed QB Gardner Minshew II and WR Michael Wilson on injured reserve. Neither player is expected to play again this season.— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 10, 2026Is Beck Ready?All season, Arizona fans have been curious when Beck will get his first start. Ten weeks in, Beck finally receives his chance at the next level.In the preseason, Beck made one appearance, and it was enough to get fans excited. Beck played terrific in his lone appearance, finishing the game against the Panthers with 188 yards and a touchdown, completing 15 of 19 passes. This produced a 125.4 passer rating, which only one Cardinals quarterback has surpassed this season (Gardner Minshew against the Cowboys, 137.3 rating).Despite Beck’s flash in the preseason, the question remains whether he’ll be able to translate that into a similar regular-season performance. In college, Beck showed he can step up in big moments. His college football playoff record is 4-1 across games with Georgia and Miami. He accumulated 772 yards, 5 touchdowns, and a passer rating of 130.1 in his appearances. The only loss came against the undefeated Indiana Hoosiers in last year’s national championship.Currently slated to turn 25 years old this month, Beck had plenty of time to refine his skills in college. He was the starte