Carson Beck In Line For First NFL Start As Cardinals Place Gardner Minshew On IR

The Arizona Cardinals are turning to their rookie quarterback. The Cardinals officially placed Gardner Minshew and wide receiver Michael Wilson on injured reserve Tuesday, and neither is reportedly expected to play again this season. That leaves rookie Carson Beck in line to make his first NFL start when Arizona hosts the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. Minshew was hurt on the final play of the first half of Sunday’s 17-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, when linebacker Dante Fowler Jr. hit his right arm as he was throwing, forcing a fumble. Minshew grabbed his arm immediately but returned to play the entire second half. He finished 21-of-30 for 166 yards. The injury cuts short Minshew’s run as Arizona’s starter after just one start. He took over for a benched Jacoby Brissett in Week 8 and rallied the Cardinals to a 33-30 overtime win over the Dallas Cowboys, which earned him the job “moving forward.” The Cardinals traded Brissett to the Baltimore Ravens last week, leaving Beck as the next man up. With Beck the only healthy quarterback on the roster, Arizona moved quickly to add depth. The Cardinals signed 40-year-old veteran Josh Johnson off the Cincinnati Bengals’ practice squad, his 15th NFL team. Beck, a third-round pick out of Miami, has yet to take a regular-season snap. LaFleur said Monday that the offense won’t change much with Beck under center. “Foundationally, we’re going to do a lot of the similar stuff, and a lot of the stuff that Carson likes and is good at is the same stuff that Gardner likes,” LaFleur told reporters. Beck will be working with a depleted group of pass catchers. Receiver Michael Wilson suffered a season-ending neck injury against Seattle. He’s the third Cardinals receiver lost for the year, and the team also traded Marvin Harrison Jr. earlier this season.