Cardinals Name Gardner Minshew Starting QB, Drop Jacoby Brissett to Third String
Mike LaFleur is riding the hot hand after Minshew's overtime comeback in Dallas, and rookie Carson Beck moves up to No. 2
Gardner Minshew is Arizona's quarterback now. Cardinals coach Mike LaFleur said Monday that Minshew will start Sunday in Seattle, a day after he came off the bench to rally the Cardinals past the Cowboys, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported.
The shakeup goes deeper than QB1. Rookie Carson Beck will be the backup, and Jacoby Brissett, who opened the season as the starter, drops to third on the depth chart. LaFleur said Beck "has full grasp of this gameplan, of this system," and admitted the move is partly about the future. "It's no secret: Obviously, if something were to happen, it'd be nice to know what we've got right there," he said.
The #AZCardinals are naming QB Gardner Minshew as their starting QB, one day after his heroics led to a dramatic win over the #Cowboys. Jacoby Brissett heads to the bench.View on X →
Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet): The #AZCardinals are naming QB Gardner Minshew as their starting QB, one day after his heroics led to a dramatic win over the #Cowboys. Jacoby Brissett heads to the bench.
Minshew earned it. He replaced Brissett late in the third quarter Sunday with Arizona down 17-3, went 17-of-23 for 188 yards and three touchdowns, and led four straight touchdown drives in a 33-30 overtime win, including the tying score to Michael Wilson with six seconds left. Brissett had been benched after a rough first half.
Brissett's future in Arizona is now an open question. Asked whether Brissett would be on the team past the Nov. 10 trade deadline, LaFleur said he was focused on this week. A veteran who's now QB3 could interest a quarterback-needy team, with Baltimore down Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley.
Minshew will be working with a thinner receiver room after Kendrick Bourne's season-ending tibia fracture. The 3-5 Cardinals visit the Seahawks on Sunday.