The Arizona Cardinals are returning to their starting quarterback.
The Cardinals officially committed Gardner Minshew and wide receiver Michael Wilson on injured reserve on Tuesday, and neither is said to be expected to play again this season.
That leaves rookie Carson Beck in line to make his first NFL start when Arizona hosts the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.
Minshew was hurt on the final play of the first half of Sunday’s 17-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks when linebacker Dante Fowler Jr. hit his right arm while shooting, forcing a skirmish. Minshew immediately grabbed the arm, but returned to play the entire second half. He finished 21 of 30 for 166 yards.
The injury cuts short Minshew’s run as Arizona’s starter after just one start. He took over for a benched Jacoby Brissett in Week 8 and rallied the Cardinals to a 33-30 overtime victory over the Dallas Cowboys, which gave him the job “moving forward.”
The Cardinals traded Brissett to the Baltimore Ravens last week, leaving Beck as the next man up.
With Beck the only healthy quarterback on the roster, Arizona moved quickly to add depth. The Cardinals signed the 40-year-old veteran Josh Johnson off the Cincinnati Bengals practice squad, his 15th NFL team.
Beck, a third-round pick out of Miami, has yet to take a snap in the regular season. LaFleur said Monday that the offense won’t change much with Beck under center.
“Basically, we’re going to be doing a lot of similar things, and a lot of the things that Carson likes and is good at are the same things that Gardner likes,” LaFleur told reporters.
Beck will be working with a depleted group of catchers. Receiver Michael Wilson suffered a season-ending neck injury against Seattle. He is the third Cardinals receiver lost for the year and the team also traded Marvin Harrison Jr. earlier this season.
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