ARIZONA — The Arizona Cardinals' most popular quarterback option for the 2026 season hasn't even been active for a game thus far.

That's set to change this week, and perhaps shortly down the road to even greater extents.

Rookie third-round pick Carson Beck got a promotion this week after the Cardinals benched starter Jacoby Brissett, propelling backup Gardner Minshew to QB1 duties and Beck now taking the QB2 seat in the desert.

With Brissett's reported trade to the Baltimore Ravens, Beck's path to playing is crystal clear.

Mike LaFleur: "It'd Be Nice to Know What We Have Right There"

That's something Cardinals fans have been pounding the table for since Arizona's struggles began this season, and head coach Mike LaFleur acknowledged that.

“Obviously it’s just behind the scenes. Nothing that you guys see, but I know he’s prepared to go in there if need be. Again, just like Gardner, just like anyone that you ask that’s going to be on this team, they’re prepared as if they’re going to be the starting quarterback or they’re prepared if they have to go in," LaFleur said on Beck earlier this week.

"I know that he has (a) full grasp of this game plan (and) of this system. It’s no secret, obviously, if something were to happen, it’d be nice to know what we have right there. I feel really good about where he is with his development, so if that were to come up, then obviously he’d be the next one in.”

Beck appeared in the team's preseason opener and impressed, though a ribs injury sat him out for the remainder of exhibition play. Beck also suffered a back injury in recent weeks, though he seems to have overcome that and is now healthy.

The Cardinals, with a massive 2027 offseason ahead, will need to make a decision on the future of their quarterback position. Beck's performance, if and when he enters action, will weigh heavily on the ultimate direction Arizona chooses to go in either sticking with the third-round pick or pursuing a new quarterback option elsewhere.

Exactly when Beck plays remains unknown.

In a perfect world, the Cardinals would prefer Minshew to find his prior 2023 Pro Bowl form and lead Arizona to a magical season. However, the reality is Minshew's high level of play will likely be solved by opposing defenses within the next four weeks, propping Beck up to finish the season.