TEMPE, Ariz. — When the Arizona Cardinals did their deep dive into quarterback Carson Beck, there were tangibles that they liked.
He had run pro-style schemes throughout college. His arm strength, accuracy and toughness were all evident on tape. He’s 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds.
“I mean, he looks the part, right?” new coach Mike LaFleur said. “That doesn’t mean that that’s the end-all be-all by any means.”
Beck’s physical traits and profile are part of why the Cardinals made him the 65th pick, taking him atop the third round. His intangibles filled in the rest. He has a level of experience that caught Arizona’s attention. In addition to starting 43 games throughout his career, he played six years of college football.
His experience in what general manager Monti Ossenfort called “big-game environments” played a sizable factor in Arizona’s evaluation. Beck played in five College Football Playoff games — it would’ve been six or more had he not hurt his right elbow late in the 2024 SEC championship game. He played in all four CFP games during Miami’s run to the national championship game last season as well as two SEC championship games and 20 games against AP Top 25 teams, winning 16 of them.
“I think when you see a player who has had big-game experience, when you make this transition to the NFL, there’s more hope that it’s not going to be too big for them, right?” Ossenfort said. “So, it’s not going to be a deer in the headlights.
“I mean, these guys that have played at these high levels, especially SEC and then into the ACC, these Big Ten programs, like these stadiums are rocking and they go into hostile environments, and so I think that’s always good. I mean, the NFL, there’s no bigger stage, and so I think the transition is a little bit smoother for them.”
Beck also acknowledged that his experience, from starting 43 games over six seasons as well as playing in high-pressure situations and games, will help him in the NFL. To a point. Beck also had the self-awareness to understand that he’s about to enter a level of football he has not experienced.
“Obviously, it’s super different and I’ve got to put my nose to the grindstone and work, and that’s something that I’ve always done,” Beck said. “And something that I’ll continue to do and make sure that I have the right approach. And I feel like that’s something I’ve been able to do well over my years in college and hopefully something that I continue to do at the next level.”
Beck understands where he falls in the Cardinals’ quarterback hierarchy with veterans Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew, but he’ll be able to fall back on his experience transferring from Georgia to Miami in January 2025 as a resource for making the transition to the NFL.
“I think that was a really good year of practice for a transition to a new team,” Beck said. “Being able to have that transition and learn a new team, learn a new offense, establish myself as a teammate, as a leader, as a friend to the guys around me, being able to have that experience will set me up for this next year.”
The circumstances were a bit different when Beck got to Miami last year.
He was recovering from elbow surgery, so he had to stay out of the weight room, which prevented him from having those small, important moments with teammates that lead to bonds, relationships and connections. Instead, Beck had to take a different approach. He had to figure out ways to get his teammates to know him and believe in him without being on the field with them.
Miami offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson tried to keep an eye on the vibe in Miami’s football building — who’s hanging out with whom, how everyone’s body language looks, how guys are talking to each other — and said a lot of Beck’s work with his teammates took place out of the facility.
“I thought he did an elite job of getting guys [together], taking them out to eat, hanging out with them, because ultimately it takes time, right?” Dawson said.
“And time is the one commodity that a lot of people aren’t willing to give up, especially your freedom, your free time. And, so, he gave up a lot of his free time because he knew that, ‘Heck, man, I got to get these people to believe in me. I got to build a relationship.’ That way you can have constructive criticism with people. People don’t listen to people with constructive criticism if they don’t feel comfortable with them or feel a certain relationship with them. That just doesn’t happen. But he did a lot behind the scenes to bring our offense together.”
At one point early in his time at Miami, Beck stood in front of the team and talked, Hurricanes running back Mark Fletcher Jr. remembered. It was the beginning of his process of being a leader on and off the field.
Dawson believes that what a player has done in the past is a good indication of what he’ll do in the future. Although Beck’s college success might not play much in the Cardinals locker room, his approach will.
“Ultimately, when you’re in a locker room, there’s one thing that matters in the locker room. You know what that is? Doing your job,” Dawson said. “And, so, if people view you as a guy that does your job at a high level, there’s immediate reciprocation of like, OK, respect, right? He came in with a lot of that. He won a lot of football games at a high level, right? And, so, ultimately, he already had clout because of who he was.
“Now he had to bring everybody together, right? And so ultimately that’s all that matters in the locker room is like, can you do your job?”
With Beck’s role in Arizona still being defined, he might be in a situation, at least at the start of the season, like he was in Miami: Not getting many, if any reps with his teammates. So, getting to know them off the field to build that trust, camaraderie and connection could end up being Beck’s most important job as a rookie.
If Beck ends up sitting for part or all of his rookie season, it won’t be the worst thing for him, LaFleur said. Beck was a backup at Georgia for his first three seasons, including sitting behind current Los Angeles Rams quarterback Stetson Bennett IV in 2022.
“It benefits anyone in any position to be able to sit back,” LaFleur said. “Sometimes, guys don’t have the choice because you have to put your best 22 out on the field there.”
Beck is coming into his rookie season with an open mind, including when it comes to playing time.
“Experience matters,” Beck said. “Having a ton of experience in college and having played a ton of games, you see how experience continues to teach you and continues to better you. These are guys that have played a ton of football, been around football for a long time, especially in the league.
“I feel like the lessons are endless. From a football standpoint, from a life standpoint, there’s so much you know that goes into the game of football and playing the position of quarterback that most don’t understand. Just coming in with an open heart, open mind and just trying to be a sponge, learn everything I can, not take any day for granted and put my best foot forward each and every day.”
