Schefter: Gardner Minshew suffered a torn UCL

Officially he’ll miss at least four weeks, but Adam Schefter reports he’s not expected to play again this season, which essentially confirms that he tore his UCL without actually confirming it. There’s no current timeline for his return.

If this proves to be the case, then Minshew played the entire second half with the injury, gutting things out for the Cardinals against a top-notch Seahawks defense. Minshew will undergo more tests to confirm the severity of his injury, but it now looks as if the Cardinals will be turning things over to rookie third-round pick Carson Beck, who threw for 188 yards and one touchdown in his lone preseason game. Beck could be in for a rough few weeks, and the Cardinals’ receiving corps looks suddenly depleted with Marvin Harrison Jr. now on the Texans and Michael Wilson (neck) and Kendrick Bourne (leg) both done for the season.

Minshew took a hard hit to his right elbow/arm in Sunday’s loss to the Seahawks and is now undergoing tests to determine the severity of his injury. He managed to play through the game, but if he is unable to go in Week 10 against the Rams, rookie Carson Beck would be in line to make his first career start. Minshew threw for 166 scoreless yards against a stout Seahawks defense, but led a comeback victory in just one half of play against the Cowboys the previous week. With recent reports of Michael Wilson (neck) being lost for the season, both Minshew and Beck would be best left on waivers this week.

We don’t believe him. But it really doesn’t matter because Beck will get his chance at some point in the coming weeks. The Cardinals’ rookie looked good in the preseason Hall of Fame game, though it is unclear whether he can do enough to warrant QB2 treatment as a pure pocket passer. The Cardinals’ schedule softens after matchups against the Rams and Chiefs over the next two weeks. Beck should have a chance to play in Week 12 against the Commanders, if not sooner.

To be fair, the matchup in Week 9 was far different than the one Minshew erupted in last week, with the Seattle defense placing the clamps on the Cardinals from the first kick, holding them to just 198 total yards of offense on the down night. The only points mustered came on the team’s first possession, with three of their five first half possessions resulting in three-and-outs. The Cardinals saw the football only thrice following the break, getting stopped after achieving first and goal from the four on their final possession of the game. It was an outing to forget for all parties. Minshew remains likely to be the starting quarterback, at least in the immediate future, but the looking presence of rookie Carson Beck could be accelerated if the former returns more games like this one. Up next for the Cardinals are the Rams in Week 10, where Minshew will be nothing more than a streamer in two-quarterback leagues.

After leading a second-half comeback against the Cowboys in which he threw for 188 yards and three touchdowns on 17-of-23 passing, the move to Minshew felt inevitable. Now, the eighth-year journeyman will have a chance to make his first start for the Cardinals in what’s sure to be a tough road matchup against the Seahawks. Minshew has long proved his value as a serviceable backup in the league and should provide enough to keep the fantasy stocks of Trey McBride and Michael Wilson up, but he could be in for a tough outing against a top-flight Seahawks defense. He shouldn’t be treated as anything more than a desperation streamer in 2QB/superflex leagues, while Wilson’s expectations should fall somewhere in the WR3 range.

Minshew appeared to get better blocking and be more accurate and on-time with his passes than Jacoby Brissett. He also got a few major long gains from Tyler Allgeier en route to rallying the Cardinals from a 17-3 deficit. Minshew should have had a walkoff 13-yard touchdown pass to Michael Wilson with six seconds left, but kicker Chad Ryland missed the extra point. In overtime, after an initial three-and-out, Minshew completed just one pass as Wilson and Allgeier ran the Cardinals into field-goal range for the win. Hard to see how the Cardinals would bench Minshew after how this looked, though he certainly shouldn’t be considered a firm rest-of-season starter just yet. Minshew Mania will likely figure into the QB2 superflex mix in Week 9.

Jaxson Dart will miss the rest of the regular season, though there’s hope he could return for a postseason run. Schefter noted that Minshew played under Giants OC Matt Nagy in Kansas City, giving him some familiarity with the team’s scheme. He also mentioned that it will not be cheap to pry Jones away from the 49ers. Jimmy Garoppolo is out there as well. He is a free agent and is reportedly still interested in playing, “in the right situation.” For now, the Giants are going to roll with Jameis Winston. Jake Haener will back him up. They will likely add someone as an extra backup option, but Winston is an interesting QB2 for fantasy purposes until they make a bigger addition.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Beck suffered a rib injury in the Cardinals’ Hall of Fame game against the Panthers. Despite feeling “soreness,” he managed to practice this week. The Cardinals “decided to keep him out tonight as a precaution and to allow more time to heal.” This pours a little cold water on Beck’s moderate hype, but the reporting suggests that the injury is not overly concerning. Cardinals QB Jacoby Brissett will start, and presumably be relieved by QB Kedon Slovis at some point. No word yet on QB Gardner Minshew’s potential involvement tonight.

Brissett was scheduled to make up to $4.88 this year, in the final year of his old deal. His new contract increases his compensation for this season, but he is still scheduled to hit free agency next offseason. The new deal includes a $15.5 million base salary. He can make up to $21 million via incentives. Things can always change in-season, but this appears to be clear-cut starter money — and it’s good news for Cardinals pass catchers. Although the Cardinals struggled to win games with Brissett under center last year, he was a very productive passer. Theoretically, he should be able to support TE Trey McBride and likely one of WR Marvin Harrison Jr. or WR Michael Wilson reliably. Cardinals coach Mike LaFleur confirmed that the plan is for Brissett to start in Week 1 against the Chargers.