In his first NFL action in the Hall of Fame Game against the Carolina Panthers on Thursday, Arizona Cardinals rookie quarterback Carson Beck made one heck of a first impression.
Let’s preface all of this by saying yes, we know, it’s just the Hall of Fame Game, which is the least important of the exhibition contests ahead of the regular season because nobody of note is playing.
That said, we still couldn’t help but be impressed by how Beck looked. The Panthers won the game, 33-30, on a Haynes King touchdown run as time expired.
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The rookie signal-caller was poised in the pocket and appeared to be in full command of the Cardinals’ offense throughout the first half.
Carson Beck’s best throws from Hall of Fame Game
Beck’s most impressive drive was his second. He led the Cardinals on a 13-play, 96-yard drive that culminated in a rushing touchdown.
The highlight on that drive was a 35-yard dime to wide receiver Jalen Brooks.
He also connected with Brooks on a 15-yard strike on the same drive and finished the series completing 6 of 6 passes for 72 yards.
But Beck wasn’t done there.
On the very next drive, Beck dialed up another beautiful deep ball to Brooks, which resulted in a 49-yard gain.
What made that throw more impressive was the fact that Beck faced pressure but managed to hang in the pocket and make the accurate throw.
A few plays later, Beck showed great touch on a fade to wide receiver Simi Fehoko to cap off a four-play, 60-yard drive.
When the first half was all said and done, Beck completed 11 of 14 passes for 148 yards and one touchdown and posted a passer rating of 134.5.
The Cardinals scored on three of their four drives with Beck under center over the first two quarters.
The rookie came out for the first drive of the second half and completed 4 of 5 passes.
However, Arizona’s drive stalled out near midfield after Beck nearly completed another good-looking deep ball that wide receiver Reggie Virgil couldn’t haul in.
After that, Beck’s night was done and his line looked like this: 15-of-19, 118 Yards, TD, 125.4 passer rating.
Not bad for the rook.
Carson Beck’s 2026 outlook
Carson Beck will likely start the season as the QB3 behind starter Jacoby Brissett and veteran backup Gardner Minshew.
But it might not be too long before Beck gets his shot to start.
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Arizona must gauge what it has in Beck before a 2027 NFL Draft expected to feature a loaded quarterback class.
If Beck can show enough to make the Cardinals believers, Arizona can utilize what will likely be a high first-round draft pick on a different position.
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