GLENDALE, Ariz. — It’s early in training camp, and Mike LaFleur is sitting in a locker room office and speaking in Matthew Stafford subtitles.

Preparation. Accountability. Poise. Clean execution. The ability to raise the level of surrounding talent.

It’s a lofty smorgasbord of expectations, rooted in the fundamentals that Stafford delivered to the Los Angeles Rams after arriving in 2021. When LaFleur talks about it, it tells you a little about the Rams standard — the Stafford Standard — that now stalks his Arizona Cardinals quarterbacks.

Subscribe now

All of it starting pre-snap.

“How tight are we in the huddle?” the Cardinals head coach says, explaining his groundwork for Arizona’s offensive progress. “How are we breaking the huddle? How crisp are our motions? How are we communicating? All the little details before the snap.”

When he speaks to outsiders, this is LaFleur’s implicit Stafford Standard. Preaching about how the Rams quarterback and reigning league MVP breaks a huddle, but managing to deliver the sermon without actually saying Stafford’s name. Then, when necessary, showing how Stafford did it on film just to drive the point home.

On this particular day, he leans forward to punctuate his point.

“I have yet to see a really good offense that looks like shit before the snap. I’ve seen a lot of bad offenses that naturally just look like shit before the snap — don’t know where they’re going, breaking the huddle it looks sloppy and slow. I think I’ve got it ingrained in these guys how important that is. We’ve watched a lot of Rams film and stuff like that to just kind of visualize it.”

If the Cardinals are going to meaningfully resolve their quarterback position in a way that hasn’t been achieved since the Carson Palmer and Kurt Warner eras — and even those were short-lived — these are the LaFleur (Sean McVay/Kyle Shanahan) standards being mixed into the foundational concrete. Meeting them will define the future of the franchise, just as failing to consistently represent them brought the Kyler Murray era to a disappointing end.

Yet even after promising to drill this home for the next six months, the quarterback capable of executing LaFleur’s vision still might not be on this roster. As one high-ranking Arizona executive succinctly framed it early in camp: “That’s what we’re going to find out.”

But make no mistake: Despite a litany of storylines orbiting the Cardinals — the highly anticipated debut of rookie running back Jeremiyah Love; the uneven development of wideout Marvin Harrison Jr.; dialing in the offensive and defensive lines, etc. — the 2026 season will be defined by how the team clarifies a long-term answer at quarterback. Much of that will be a Carson Beck story, despite bridge starter Jacoby Brissett renegotiating a one-year, fully guaranteed deal for $15.5 million that will make him the likely Week 1 starter for the Cardinals.

How long Brissett holds that job will depend on a variety of factors, beginning with wins and losses and the general development of LaFleur’s offense as the season progresses. As it stands, he already skipped voluntary work in the offseason and then didn’t practice during the team’s mandatory minicamp. All of that brought Beck’s standing with the staff and teammates into sharper focus, as the rookie third-round pick took up the offseason slack from Brissett while operating alongside veteran backup Gardner Minshew.

Share

It also underlined a reality that the Cardinals’ brain trust can’t escape. And that is this: If there’s any chance that the 24-year-old Beck could be a long-term solution, he has to get some kind of look this season. Certainly beyond the preseason games in August, which have already been earmarked for a significant amount of playing time for Beck. He’s been named the starter for tonight’s Pro Football Hall of Fame Game against the Carolina Panthers, kicking off what will likely be multiple starts in the preseason.

While the staff and front office avoid saying out loud that Beck will likely necessitate some regular season snaps, the next offseason essentially demands it. With the 2027 draft looking like it will feature a bumper crop of high-end quarterbacks — and the now-typical migration of veteran options through free agency or trades — the Cardinals will have options after the 2026 season. Not only is Arizona positioned to have the most projected cap space of any team next offseason, nearly $114 million according to Spotrac, but the Cardinals also currently hold all seven of their 2027 draft picks.

That gives LaFleur and general manager Monti Ossenfort a significant opportunity to add to a bone structure of a team that is far better than it was the last time the head coaching position turned over. Unlike Jonathan Gannon in 2023, LaFleur isn’t entering a total overhaul. Instead, he’s working with an offense that features an All-Pro in tight end Trey McBride, alongside three other potentially load-bearing talents in Love, Harrison Jr. and wideout Michael Wilson. If LaFleur and Ossenfort can find a way to solidify the offensive line — and that’s a sizable if — Arizona’s starting quarterback in 2027 will be commandeering an impressive suite of options in an L.A. Rams-centric scheme.

The leadership can’t say this but I will: That player won’t be Brissett or Minshew. Or at the very least, it shouldn’t be, barring some kind of Geno Smith-esque late-career blossoming for Brissett. As for Beck, the odds are stacked against him even as the 65th pick in the draft, but LaFleur believes the makeup he developed from a fairly battered college experience will be an asset if he gets an opportunity.

“You always knew he was going to be mature because he’s a little bit older and he’s been through the wringer,” LaFleur said. “He’s had an injury. He’s had more ups than downs, but his downs have calloused him in a good way, in my opinion. And that’s what really fired me up about him in the draft process. Inevitably, we’re all going to get shit thrown at us at some point in this league. For him to get it thrown at him in big-time college football, naturally that’s going to callous you a little bit to learn it really doesn’t matter what other people think.”

“He makes a good play, makes a bad play, it’s not like he’s looking over his shoulder to see if anyone is watching. He’s just doing his thing. I really was impressed with just how he was able to absorb everything so fast. I think he’s pretty clean in the huddle. He’s still got room to get there, but I think he’s ahead of where I was expecting.”

Time will tell whether that will be enough for Beck to become a larger part of the future. Or if any quarterback on the roster is capable of reaching even a fraction of the Matthew Stafford standard. That calculation is starting now, and one way or another, the Cardinals will have to find an answer in 2026.

The trajectory of 2027 and beyond demands it.

Some other thoughts from Cardinals camp…

About the QB

A little more on Beck: He had a rough day of practice when I came through early in camp, but he has already clearly gotten better along the way. He began with some accuracy issues, playing behind a backup offensive line that wasn’t doing him many favors. As camp has gone on, he has improved, including when pads went on this week. After talking to LaFleur and general manager Monti Ossenfort, there’s clearly an acceptance of highs and lows, with some optimism that Beck will eventually settle down and gain some comfort.

I’ve seen a lot of rookie quarterbacks who had far more fanfare than Beck struggle significantly in their early practices. It wasn’t long ago that New England Patriots fans were white-knuckling the early looks at Drake Maye during his first training camp. As time went on, Maye worked and got better — both at mastering the offense and getting into a rhythm. Beck has already shown improvement in his practices.

Right now, the biggest focus will be how he translates what he’s learning to the preseason games. When I asked LaFleur about the run Beck could get in Arizona’s four exhibitions, he said flatly: “There’s going to be a reason to watch the preseason.” If Beck plays well … and if Arizona’s offense struggles under Jacoby Brissett … that will crack a door down the line for Beck. I’d be shocked if he doesn’t start at some point in 2026.

While the Hall of Fame Game won’t carry a lot of weight for potential future starters, Beck is not in that category. Every snap in these preseason games will carry weight for him. And it begins tonight.

Subscribe now

Rookie to Watch

The first three picks — running back Jeremiyah Love, guard Chase Bisontis and Beck — could all end up starting at their positions by the end of the season. Love will start from Week 1, while we’ve discussed Beck’s potential path. But I’m really locking on Bisontis. If he doesn’t win the right guard job in camp, I think he could definitely get there at some point this season. Which is exactly what he was drafted for.

There’s a feel in the organization that the line has been rebuilt on the left side to the center, and the focus now is sorting out right guard with Bisontis and then eventually solving right tackle next offseason. If Bisontis proves to be the upgrade Arizona is looking for over Isaiah Adams, that lays the groundwork for a draft and free agency that is 100 percent focused on finding the bookend on the right side.

The bottom line? Bisontis has to solidify right guard for this unit to both improve and take the next step in the build. Thus far, the returns on Bisontis when it comes to the staff have been very encouraging.

What I Saw That Was Interesting

We won’t know everything about the offensive and defensive lines until there are several padded practices in the books, but I believe defensive tackle Walter Nolen will be a problem for opposing teams. His strength and disruption quickly reminded you what he looked like during his brief six-game stint last season. Watch the 27-17 win on Nov. 3 versus the Dallas Cowboys.

That’s the Nolen the Cardinals believe they can get consistently now that he’s fully healthy. It’s a defensive line that has talent and will still likely be looking for an edge-rushing complement for Josh Sweat. Having Nolen on the field will at least give Arizona a talent who can wreak havoc. Thankfully, a white-knuckle moment last Friday when Nolen left practice with trainers looking at his left knee wasn’t anything serious. Keeping Nolen on the field all season is a must — especially if the defensive backs can play as well as the coaches believe they can.

Wild Card

Speaking of those defensive backs, the staff is very high on the ceiling of Will Johnson, Denzel Burke and Max Melton. That young core has created some internal buzz. And Johnson in particular is showing signs of taking a big leap. I asked LaFleur about Johnson’s strong rookie season and what his impression was when he was preparing for Arizona’s defense last season as the Los Angeles Rams’ offensive coordinator.

“He was jumping off the tape,” LaFleur said. “And when Matthew Stafford walked in the next day, he was like, ‘Dude, this guy’s a freaking stud.’ If that’s coming from Stafford — and I know why Stafford said that — it’s because Will is an instinctual football player. And instinctual football players aren’t going to just say ‘Ok, this is my assignment and that’s what I’m going to do.’”

“Smart players figure it out. I mean, you’ve got to have a baseline talent level, but the smart guys that give a shit about this game and have enough ‘eff-it’ in their game, they figure it out. I think he’s a great representation of what you want in the Cardinals. You’ve got a guy that loves it and is smart as hell and has some ‘eff-it’ to him.”

Share

Veteran I’m Keeping an Eye On

Without a doubt, the Cardinals offense is getting banged around on social media this preseason. I’ve seen the montage of crummy moments. I don’t know that they represent what this unit will look like at the end of camp. I think people are getting a little over their heads with the early camp performance of Marvin Harrison Jr., too. Everyone just needs to take a breath. Rarely do the first two weeks completely represent the ceiling or floor of what it coming.

That said, this is unquestionably an important season for Harrison Jr., and it’s coming with a quarterback position that is in its greatest state of flux since he was drafted. He looked fine when I was in camp and made a nice sideline grab at one point. I’ve seen subsequent clips since I left that have been bad at times and good at others. The fan base is clearly wound very tight when it comes to Harrison Jr.

My takeaway is this: A year ago, when I sat down with then-offensive coordinator Drew Petzing, it was clear Harrison was being challenged on some of the little things that make a difference between winning and losing a rep. That push was real.

Petzing was talking about the things Harrison Jr. could do at the top of his routes to help create space and then also use his body more to fight for footballs. He talked about focus and learning tricks that veteran wideouts rely on to create spacial opportunity. What that translated to for me was the reality that Harrison Jr.’s speed was OK but not elite and that being a refined technician would help him break through consistently. I still think that’s the case, and that this season is when Harrison Jr. has to start showcasing it to realize that ultra-elite draft evaluation. I don’t think there are any alarm bells going off. I do think there’s an overall mentality that this coaching staff wants every player to have. Most especially the players who have the underlying talent to shape games.

When I asked LaFleur what Harrison Jr. needed to embrace to reach his ceiling, this is how he framed it: “Not just Marvin, but what you talk to all these guys about in this league is that every play is probably going to be the hardest play you’ve ever had. It is hard to win in this league. And it’s hard to win 1-on-1 matchups in this league. Left tackle versus an edge guy, from receiver to the corner. Just instilling that mindset in all these guys that, dude, it’s going to be hard. It’s going to be contested. Are we going to make the play? Someone is going to make the play. It’s either you or that guy [across from you].”

We’ll see where it goes. My thought is that this isn’t just some schematic limitation standing in the way of unlocking Harrison Jr.’s greatness. The Cardinals can move him inside more or make motion a bigger part of his game, but it’s up to Harrison to decide how he can fight every single rep and make the football his when it’s in the air.

Fantasy Thought

I couldn’t get out of here without talking about running back Jeremiyah Love, who is a significant fantasy football focus. It was interesting talking to people in the building about Love. I think his draft selection at third overall created so much fanfare and expectations that the team is just trying to let him have a camp where he can be himself and not instantly get anointed as some offensive savior. I also think some of that came out in the viral quote from offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, who said of Love: “I mean, he’s definitely a rookie, as we’ve talked about, and he’ll keep growing every single day.”

Here’s the thing about Love: He’s got all the potential that made him so coveted in the draft. He’s also got an offensive line that’s still figuring it out — especially at right guard and right tackle — and a quarterback situation that won’t be easy. If things break wrong on that line and with the quarterback, it’s going to be tough sledding. Go back and look at what Ashton Jeanty was dealing with in 2025 with the Las Vegas Raiders. The Cardinals are in a much better talent spot than those Raiders were, and the coaching staff isn’t a mess like it was in Las Vegas. But there’s still a lot that can go wrong. One thing that should be encouraging to fantasy football managers who are drafting Love is that the coaches and front office see him as a three-tool talent who can run, catch and block. And that means when he hits his groove, the only reason to take him off the field will be to give him some rest.