Can Carson Beck Win Arizona Cardinals’ QB Competition?

While Ossenfort sees Beck getting acclimated to professional football quicker than the average rookie, there’s a wait-and-see approach to how quickly he’ll rise up the quarterback depth chart.

“We’ve got two guys that have played and started a lot of games in the NFL in Jacoby and Gardner. I think that’s gonna be a great competition,” Ossenfort explained, “We’ll add him in here, and we’ll bring him in and see how much he can handle. We’ll just see how that competition plays out in that room. In the end, the guy who’s gonna give us the best chance to win that’s who’s gonna be out there on Sundays.”

While Beck could be the longshot to start among him, Brissett and Minshew, there’s currently a contract situation hanging over Brissett’s status with the team. NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reported that Brissett didn’t attend the first portion of offseason voluntary workouts and is “asking for an extension that pays him as the starter” with a $9.06 million salary next year with just $1.5 million guaranteed. Brissett put up respectable numbers last season with 23 passing touchdowns and eight interceptions, but had a 1-11 record as starter.

If Brissett’s contract issues are resolved and he’s Arizona’s starter, Beck could still wind up as the backup if he impresses the team this offseason and performs better than Gardner Minshew. Minshew signed with the Cardinals in March and has a 17-30 career starting record. When Beck spoke with the media, he realizes he’ll have to get to work and prove he’s capable of leading the Cardinals’ offense.

“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.”

This article was originally published on Forbes.com