4 Cardinals bold predictions for 2026 NFL season: Will Carson Beck get the keys?

The Arizona Cardinals hired former Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur to be their new head coach and are rolling the dice with journeyman Nathaniel Hackett to lead coach LaFleur’s offense.

On defense, Nick Rallis was retained to lead a unit that finished 27th in total defense last season, a surprising development among many Cardinals fans.

On paper, the Cardinals have an exciting albeit relatively unproven leadership group, but there’s one position of need that stands out like a sore thumb headed into the 2026 season: quarterback.

This year, the position is expected to be manned by Jacoby Brissett, who took over for an injured Kyler Murray last season, Gardner Minshew II, a well traveled backup and spot starter, and Carson Beck, who led the Miami Hurricanes to the national championship game in college football last season.

Who ends up starting the season at quarterback, and how they perform, could be the biggest indicator of whether or not the Cardinals have a winning season under LaFleur. As always, the Cardinals’ season will be a team effort, with the team recently extending Michael Wilson and drafting running back Jeremiyah Love, who looks like a future star and could be the focal point of the team’s offense.

Here are four bold predictions as Arizona prepares for its Sept. 13 season opener in Los Angeles against Jim Harbaugh’s Chargers:

1. Marvin Harrison Jr. will improve in Year 3: 

Last season, prized former number four overall draft pick Marvin Harrison, Jr. only played in 12 games and had less receiving yards than his rookie season as a result.

Harrison, Jr. is a daunting deep ball threat for any defense in the NFL but he’s far less effective without a high quality deep ball throwing quarterback to get it to him on vertical routes.

This season, Harrison, Jr. is preparing to bounce back and will be successful regardless of who is behind center for the Cardinals. Harrison, Jr. was recently listed as a starter on the Cardinals’ depth chart, an expected yet notable development for a player who could be the Cardinals’ X-factor in 2026.

I personally expect Harrison, Jr. to record his first-ever 1,000-yard season through sheer talent and work ethic alone. Harrison, Jr. was seen as the type of can’t miss, generational talent that current Ohio State Buckeyes receiver Jeremiah Smith is now viewed as being.

Harrison, Jr. has done nothing to dissuade me from thinking he won’t reach top tier NFL receiver status, as soon as his coaching and quarterback play reaches a certain level of consistency that he needs to be successful.

2. Jeremiyah Love will win OROTY: 

Love was the heart and soul of some incredible Notre Dame Fighting Irish football teams and now will be the same for the Arizona Cardinals in LaFleur’s first season in Arizona.

Love has drawn rave reviews this offseason since he was selected with the third overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Considering the shelf life of NFL running backs in the year 2026, Love’s high selection says a lot about his value to LaFleur and his coaching staff. Love is a threat on all levels of the field as a strong goal line and red zone runner, big play threat, and sure-handed receiver out of the backfield.

I expect Love to be not just a top player for a rookie, but a top NFL player in general as he helps the Cardinals’ offense find new levels.

3. Carson Beck will ease in slowly: 

Rookie Carson Beck looked sharp in Week 1 of preseason action but suffered a rib injury that has set his development back heading into Week 1 of the regular season.

The Cardinals chose to keep both Brissett and Minshew on their 53-man roster which offers a clue as to where Beck is in his development with Hackett’s offense.

Beck has the pedigree of being a national championship starter and third-round pick, which gives him a chance to see regular season game action this season. Beck has the size and strong arm at 6-foot-4 to pair well with Harrison, Jr. and the scrambling ability to learn from Minshew and eventually overtake him.

The prediction here is that Minshew will eventually be released and Beck will take over as Brissett’s backup with the potential to challenge for a starting job in 2027.

4. Brissett locks in as the starter: 

Brissett is a well-traveled player and physically limited player compared to the league’s top quarterbacks, but so are Minshew and Beck heading into the 2026 season.

Last season, the former backup got the most out of his talent on a dysfunctional team, passing for over 3,300 yards.

Brissett will benefit more than any other Cardinals player from the addition of Love, whom the Cardinals starter can rely on in both the run and the pass game.

Last year, Brissett relied heavily on tight end Trey McBride and it was a perfect marriage because of how Brissett excels in a short, tempo based passing attack.

This season, McBride, Love, Wilson, and Harrison, Jr. all figure to benefit from the strength-in-numbers approach being employed by the Cardinals, which could make them a dark horse NFC championship contender.

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