The Arizona Cardinals injury update confirms Michael Wilson will miss the rest of the season with a neck fracture. Ian Rapoport and Adam Schefter reported Monday that Gardner Minshew II likely needs season-ending surgery for a torn UCL in his throwing elbow. Minshew is seeking additional medical opinions, and head coach Mike LaFleur has yet to name a starter for Week 10.
Rookie Carson Beck would make his first NFL start against the Los Angeles Rams on November 15, 2026, if Minshew can’t play. LaFleur expects more information Wednesday, November 11, according to the team’s update. Both injured players finished Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks, a 17-3 loss at Lumen Field that dropped Arizona to 3-6 with eight games remaining.
Why Carson Beck Is Next In Line
Pass rusher Dante Fowler hit Minshew’s throwing arm just before halftime, but the quarterback played every second-half snap and finished 21-of-30 for 166 yards. The Cardinals had already sent Jacoby Brissett and a 2027 fifth-round pick to the Baltimore Ravens. The Brissett trade brought back a 2027 fourth-rounder and a 2028 seventh-rounder, leaving Beck as the next quarterback up.
Arizona had no third quarterback when LaFleur spoke Monday. Schefter later reported the addition of veteran Josh Johnson from the Cincinnati Bengals’ practice squad, giving the rookie a potential backup. Beck has yet to play a regular-season snap, and his only preseason appearance produced 188 yards and a touchdown on 15-of-19 passing.
LaFleur said Beck and Minshew are comfortable with similar concepts, so the offense can keep much of the same playbook. The starter gets the practice reps, which makes the timing of the decision important. An early call would give Beck more time to work on routes with the receivers now in line for bigger roles.
Arizona Cardinals Injury Update Leaves Four Week 1 Receivers Unavailable
Wilson landed awkwardly after a 17-yard catch on the offense’s fourth play, according to the team’s account, and Monday’s tests revealed the fracture. The NFL gamebook credited him with six catches for a team-high 60 yards despite the injury. Wilson finished the season with 51 catches, 546 yards and two touchdowns. The receiver had 111 yards in Dallas, including a late touchdown from Minshew with six seconds left.
The Cardinals have now lost their top four Week 1 wideouts through injuries and a trade. Marvin Harrison Jr. went to the Houston Texans, Jalen Brooks needed wrist surgery, and Kendrick Bourne landed on injured reserve after getting hurt in Dallas. Simi Fehoko and Devin Duvernay remain alongside rookies Reggie Virgil and Harrison Wallace III, with veteran Zay Jones on the practice squad.
Virgil leads the remaining active wideouts with 54 receiving yards, nearly half of which came on his 25-yard catch on third-and-4 from Arizona’s 7. The deep throw to the left was the offense’s longest play. Wilson showed what the Cardinals also need on shorter routes when his four-yard catch over the middle on third-and-1 set up first-and-goal.
Why Trey McBride Needs Help On Third Down
Tight end Trey McBride leads Arizona with 73 catches and 598 receiving yards, and he and Wilson accounted for 13 of 21 completions against Seattle. The Seahawks stopped both targets from the 2 on consecutive downs. Wilson’s third-down target fell incomplete, and the red-zone breakdown detailed how safety Nick Emmanwori broke up the fourth-down throw to McBride.
Duvernay caught a three-yard pass over the middle on that drive, the kind of gain the Cardinals could use on third-and-short. McBride can run up the seam and draw coverage, giving Duvernay room to break underneath at the first-down marker. A credible outside threat from Virgil would also make it riskier for defenders to crowd McBride inside.
The Rams Rematch Tests The Protection Plan
Arizona won the first meeting 18-16 on Chad Ryland’s sixth field goal, with Brissett throwing for 218 yards. Wilson, Bourne and Brooks supplied 109 receiving yards, exactly half of that production, and Brooks helped set up the winning kick. The Cardinals enter the rematch without all three receivers or the quarterback who threw to them.
Los Angeles played without Myles Garrett in October, but the pass rusher logged three sacks against the Washington Commanders in his first game back from knee surgery. The Rams recorded four sacks with Garrett and Aaron Donald on the field together. Garrett can win outside while Donald makes it harder for a quarterback to step up in the pocket.
Arizona might also have a different center because LaFleur said starter Hjalte Froholdt was in concussion protocol. Running back Tyler Allgeier can chip Garrett before releasing, keeping a guard available to help against Donald and giving Beck an outlet if the pocket closes. Extra protection limits the Cardinals’ early routes. A first-down play-action throw to McBride gives Beck an option while defenders still have to respect the run.
End Of My Arizona Cardinals Injury Update Rant
The Arizona Cardinals injury update leaves Beck in line for his first NFL start. The rookie deserves chances to throw on early downs, before the pass rush can attack an obvious passing situation. Protection calls will matter as much as how quickly Beck works through his reads. The better measure of his performance will be how he responds to pressure, whether that means taking the outlet or throwing past the sticks.
