On the eve of rookie minicamp, Arizona Cardinals third-round pick Carson Beck said his right arm is the “strongest it’s ever been,” the report says. Beck added that he has been throwing “really well recently,” nearly 18 months after surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.
The report says Beck injured the UCL when it tore off the bone on the final play of the first half of the 2024 SEC championship game and avoided full-blown Tommy John surgery because the ligament did not tear in half. The injury kept him out of the College Football Playoff that season, per the report.
Beck transferred from Georgia and played the 2025 season at the University of Miami, where he said his arm began to feel “great” toward the end of that season and into the College Football Playoff. The report says he led Miami to the CFP National Championship game, winning three contests before falling to Indiana, 27-21, in the title game.
According to the report, Beck spent the offseason before the draft working on the fluidity of his throwing motion and focusing on mechanics, saying the extra time to train and hone those details helped after a year that included surgery and rehab. His return to throwing began in his hometown of Jacksonville, Florida, where he started with 10-yard tosses, progressed after two weeks of light throwing and eventually was encouraged to “let it rip.” The report says that overcoming the mental barrier after the injury was a key part of his recovery.
Per the report, Beck reported Thursday after a week of video calls with quarterbacks coach Matt Schaub and offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett and will take the field for the first time as an NFL quarterback Friday, the first day of Arizona’s rookie minicamp. The report says coach Mike LaFleur has indicated Beck could see the field as a rookie if he outperforms veteran quarterbacks Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew II. Beck said he views every day as a learning experience, the report says.
