Former Super Bowl champion: Cardinals QB Carson Beck has 'all the tools' to become starter

Thursday's Hall of Fame Game delivered an exciting start to the 2026 NFL preseason slate as the Carolina Panthers prevailed in walk-off fashion, 33-30, over the Arizona Cardinals.

Sure, it was a game comprised of backups and third-stringers, but it was still an opportunity for players to impress coaches and make an early statement. That is exactly what Cardinals third-round pick Carson Beck did in his debut performance, going 15-of-19 for 188 yards and a touchdown.

While Beck is listed behind Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew II on Arizona's depth chart, it is always fair to wonder if teams without a clear starter under center should start a young QB right away. Former Super Bowl champion and current ESPN analyst Chris Canty believes it makes sense for Beck to take on the QB1 role in this situation.

"When it comes to the Arizona Cardinals, specifically, you're talking about a guy in Carson Beck that's played in 50 college games, a quarterback that's older than J.J. McCarthy is, than Jaxson Dart is," Canty said on Friday's edition of "First Take." "He didn't look like the game was too big for him. He didn't get sped up by the Carolina Panthers defense. He engineered scoring drives on three of the first four possessions and it would've been 4-for-4 had a receiver not dropped a third-down pass that was on the money early in the game.

"So, there were a lot of things to like about Carson Beck's performance, but probably the most impressive part is that he has all the tools in his bag. And when you look at the situation in Arizona, you might as well go out there and have the benefit of losing games while getting the quarterback experience."