TEMPE, Ariz. -- Arizona Cardinals rookie quarterback Carson Beck will make his NFL debut Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams, coach Mike LaFleur said Wednesday.
Quarterback Gardner Minshew II was placed on injured reserve Tuesday after suffering a UCL injury in his throwing arm Sunday at Seattle, paving the way for Beck to get his first career start.
Beck, a third-round pick by Arizona, spent the first eight weeks as the Cardinals' emergency third quarterback and was inactive on game day. He was the backup against the Seahawks after Arizona traded Jacoby Brissett to Baltimore.
"Obviously having gone from emergency quarterback at the beginning of the season to last week being the backup to now being the starter, I mean, it's been a crazy season," Beck said. "It's really been a welcome to the NFL season that just getting introduced to what the league is and what it can be."
LaFleur said Beck, who played in 55 games over six seasons at Georgia and Miami, won't be fazed by the moment.
"I know this isn't too big for him," LaFleur said. "Go have some fun, man. Go let it sling."
Beck's last start came in January in the CFP National Championship game, which Miami lost to Indiana 27-21. The game before, Beck led the Hurricanes to a win over Ole Miss in the CFP quarterfinals at the Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium, where he'll play Sunday.
"Obviously that was a super cool moment for me, probably my favorite game I've ever played in," Beck said. "So there's some good moments I've already had in that stadium, but it'll be really cool to walk in that stadium and know what's at stake and what's to come on Sunday for sure."
LaFleur said he wants to see Beck continue what he has been doing in practice and treat each play individually.
"You never really know until you get to the live bullets on Sunday, but just the way he goes about his business ... have all the confidence that he's ready to roll," the coach said.
LaFleur said Beck "will not be scared" of letting it fly in his NFL debut. As the backup, Beck doubled his workload running the scout team offense, according to quarterbacks coach Matt Schaub.
"He can translate those into getting himself prepared, moving around the pocket, not just going through the motions, and he's really diligent on that and just going through his process, which he's been doing all year, but it's just those physical reps," Schaub said.
Schaub said he saw a change in Beck's demeanor with the increased reps.
"He's a confident kid by nature, so he's reserved, but I mean he's been what he's been since he's been here," Schaub said. "And so it's been good to see him getting his workload ramped up, especially he had some little injury situation in camp, so he lost some reps and some experience and just development there, but he's picked back up and so we like where he's at."
Beck was asked about his growth this season and mentioned the difference in the playbook: "You go all the way back to when I first got here and rookie minicamp, OTAs, I mean, just trying to say a whole playcall in the huddle is not the easiest thing ever. I did a little bit at Georgia. We had pretty long playcalls. Miami, a little bit shorter, but we had a couple long ones.
"But again, just in that standpoint of things, looking at it, being able to operate and get in and out of the huddle, communicate well, I think that's a huge thing that obviously I've got a ton of practice at. So it's something that I've definitely got better at."
LaFleur credited Beck's college experience for helping him prepare to start.
"He's been a pro since he's been here," LaFleur said. "He puts in the exact amount of work that he needs. And then from a physical standpoint, he'll obviously get 100% of the reps."
Beck said sitting for three years at Georgia "prepared me for this -- of how to handle yourself like a pro when you are on the sideline, when you are the backup, how to still prepare like you are the starter. You have to learn those things.
"That's a skill that you have to, through trial and error, figuring out what kind of schedule do I want to have for myself so that when you do get your opportunity, you're not doing anything new, you're just doing the same stuff and now you're obviously just going out there and actually the guy doing it."
Beck will be throwing to a number of familiar receivers he worked with on the practice squad before he was the No. 2 quarterback last week. Arizona's currently active receiving corps of Simi Fehoko, Reggie Virgil and Devin Duvernay has a combined eight catches this season. However, Beck's tight end corps of Trey McBride, Elijah Higgins and Teagan Quitoriano has 94 combined.
LaFleur said playing in his first NFL game with receivers he knows well will be beneficial to Beck.
"He knows how these guys move and he knows the indicators that they're given," LaFleur said. "So, he sees them in the huddle, albeit with no one watching. I mean it's going to be a little bit different on Sunday, but absolutely."
LaFleur made it official Wednesday that Minshew needs surgery and will miss the rest of the season. With their quarterback room depleted, the Cardinals added veteran Josh Johnson and Joey Aguilar to the active roster Tuesday. LaFleur worked with Johnson in 2020 with the 49ers and in 2021 with the Jets.
LaFleur said Arizona was interested in Aguilar during the draft process, but after selecting Beck and with a stocked quarterback room of veterans, the Cardinals didn't have room for another signal-caller.
"So, it just ran its course at that point, had some interest in him," LaFleur said. "When all this unfolded, it was an easy deal for us."
