Carson Beck might have a very bright future if his NFL debut was anything to go by.
The Arizona Cardinals rookie quarterback took to the field in the league’s annual Pro Football Hall of Fame game against the Carolina Panthers on Thursday night.
Although the Cardinals lost the game after a walk-off touchdown from Panthers signal caller Haynes King, Beck made a lasting impression of his own.
The former Georgia Bulldogs and Miami Hurricanes star put up 188 passing yards, completing 15-of-19 of his passes for a touchdown in the 33-30 defeat.
Former NFL quarterback-turned-analyst Dan Orlovsky, though, was left impressed by a number of attributes that he saw from Beck on the field, albeit only a one-game sample.
“Carson Beck told the Cardinals last night you have to consider me for the starting quarterback job sooner rather than later,” Orlovsky claimed on the Pat McAfee Show on Friday.
“And I’m not jumping on over Jacoby Brissett just yet. But, the number one thing that stands out is he never once got fooled by coverage. The eyes were always in the right place. The ball always went to the right place. He played fast.
“So often young quarterbacks in their first game, they feel overwhelmed. They play a little slow, whether it’s with their decision-making or the eyes. …
“I haven’t been at practices, and I don’t know what the reports are about Carson Beck in practice,” he continued.
“But it looked the ideal way you would want that to look for a guy that you would want to say, ‘he needs more reps to see if we’re entertaining starting him earlier than maybe what our plan was.'”
As it stands, Beck is considered the third-string quarterback behind Brissett – who penned a one-year restructured deal which will see him earn north of $15.5 million in 2026 – and Gardner Minshew II.
But the 24-year-old who was taken with the 65th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft will be hoping he has taken the first steps in showcasing that he could rival Minshew, at least, for the back-up spot.
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He may even feel he has a chance to steal the starting role from veteran Brissett later down the line.
Former NFL QB not sold on Beck from one showing
Whilst Orlovsky is already high on Beck, former quarterback Luke McCown, who had a 10-year NFL career split between five NFL teams, brought him back down to earth.
“Dan knows this… all pre season games but the first one especially and the HOF game even more, has 0 and I mean 0 correlation to giving anyone an actual look into whether a guy is ready to be considered as the starter,” McCown posted to X on Friday.
“Of course he never got fooled, they played 2 static coverages all night. Little to no pressures, no nickel 3 down overloads…. No disguises, nothing.
“Good for Carson, and I mean that sincerely but, we gotta pump the brakes!
“You go with Jacoby all the way until the season is gone or he doesn’t give you the best chance to win.”
Having played all six years of his eligibility, Beck finished his collegiate career having completed 69.5 percent of his passes for 11,725 yards for 88 touchdowns to 32 interceptions.
He tacked on an additional 288 yards and seven scores rushing and was part of a Bulldogs outfit which won back-to-back National Championships in 2021 and 2022.
Whether he can make the jump up and transition seamlessly into the pro game, though, is still very much in wait-and-see mode.
