Steve Mariucci believes Carson Beck should be the starting quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals, and honestly, it’s hard to argue with his reasoning. The former San Francisco 49ers head coach and current NFL Network analyst sat down with Casino.org/US to discuss the Cardinals’ quarterback situation, and Mooch didn’t hold back on where he thinks Arizona should be headed.

Mariucci was asked who he thinks should start for Arizona, and he laid it out plainly:

“Yeah, I think Carson Beck should be the starting quarterback, but it depends on how well and how much Jacoby Brissett practices. Beck isn’t a young guy anymore and he’s played a lot of football. He’s a mature guy and so far he’s been doing very well. He gets your attention.”

Beck’s strong preseason showing

We all know Carson Beck played a solid game against the Panthers in the Hall of Fame game going 15/19 for 188 yards and a touchdown with a 125.4 passer rating, and there were encouraging clips from practice following that performance. He unfortunately wasn’t able to play in Arizona’s second preseason game against the Raiders due to a rib injury suffered in the debut, but he started the preseason on a strong note, which I don’t think many fans were expecting.

Mariucci and everyone else around the league know that Jacoby Brissett very well could start Week 1 and probably will. But Mariucci is of the perspective that it’s a matter of when, not if, Carson Beck starts this year:

“Even if Jacoby Brissett starts early in the year, I think it will be just a matter of when Carson replaces him, not if. But it’s all about when they want to make this big call. If they’re not in the playoff race (which no one expects them to be), then this season should be about rebuilding their roster, and they should do this with players around Carson Beck. They’ll be looking to see what they have in him, but making him your go-to guy should be sooner rather than later.”

Finding the right window for Beck

I think the timing question is the most important part of this whole discussion. Before the Cardinals’ bye week at Week 14, there isn’t really a good spot to put Beck in due to Arizona’s brutal schedule. You’re talking about the entire NFC West division, plus the Broncos, the Chiefs, the Eagles, the Chargers, and the Lions. It’s a really tough slate for a team no one is expecting to do well. At the same time, waiting until after the bye week to get the rookie out on the field seems like not enough time for him to play this year considering that would only be four games.

I honestly think that if you throw Carson Beck in there around that Week 11 mark when Arizona goes to Kansas City to face the Chiefs, that would give him three games against the Chiefs, Commanders, and Eagles heading into the bye week. Then the Cardinals’ last four games after the bye are probably the easiest stretch they have on the season, facing the Jets, Saints, Raiders, and then the 49ers in Week 18. That’s a reasonable runway for a rookie quarterback to find his footing, and build some momentum into his second year if Arizona decides to roll with him. 

Arizona’s rebuild demands a long-term answer

I do agree with Mariucci that this team is certainly in a rebuild. The Cardinals need to be looking forward to the future, and Jacoby Brissett is not the future for Arizona. Carson Beck may not be either, but he certainly could be, while we know for a fact that Brissett due to his age is in no position to be in the Cardinals long-term plans. 

Mariucci backs that up:

“Jacoby Brissett is the veteran over there, but he’s not a solid franchise quarterback. He’s been a good player for a lot of teams, but I’m not sure he’ll be very influential. At some point, Arizona is going to have to look at Carson Beck more seriously and see what they can do with him because he’s a talented guy.”

Look, there is a real point to Carson Beck’s experience playing four years at Georgia and then playing at Miami last year. Not many guys coming into the league have that level of experience anymore at the quarterback position with that number of starts. Beck does. I think Arizona needs to turn to him at some point during his rookie season, and the sooner the Cardinals figure out what they have in him (even if it’s nothing special), the better positioned they’ll be for the future.