Josh WeinfussMay 13, 2026, 06:00 AM ETCloseJosh Weinfuss is a staff writer who covers the Arizona Cardinals and the NFL at ESPN. Josh has covered the Cardinals since 2012, joining ESPN in 2013. He is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and a graduate of Indiana University.Follow on XMultiple Authors
It has been well documented: He’s 24, has played six seasons of college ball and started 43 combined games at two schools.
But how can that experience translate to the field? It was already apparent during Beck’s first days on an NFL field at rookie minicamp. He came into the NFL with the benefit of playing in NFL-style systems at Georgia and Miami, which quickly translated to the league in one particular area: the cadence.
For new Cardinals coach Mike LaFleur, the cadence and snap have been among his priorities since the veterans arrived in Arizona’s facility the first week of April. LaFleur spent an entire week on the pre-snap orientation. Beyond working on the huddle, which was the first step for LaFleur, the next priority was the snap count, cadence included.
In Beck, LaFleur has a rookie quarterback who’s unique. Beck has already used a verbal cadence, demanding the snap verbally during the first half of last season at Miami. His Miami cadence wasn’t as “drawn out” as NFL cadences are, but it got him used to it, whereas most other rookie quarterbacks either receive the snap on a clap or on a silent count.
“He’s learning the cadence, he’s understanding how important the cadence is, but he’s going to have to go out there and do it when we get everyone there,” LaFleur said.
Beck’s understanding of just how important the cadence is could help him when he sees the field this season.
“You can try to trick a defense or just kind of keeps them off balance,” Beck said. “You can use cadence as a weapon. So obviously that’s something that I’m going to have to practice as I head into this, but I think it’ll be good.
“You can use that as a weapon if you can get good at it. So I’m excited to kind of dive into that a little bit more.”
“That’s the advantage we have on offense is we know when it’s going to be snapped, but we have to be able to use that as a weapon,” LaFleur said. “We have to be able to change it up and do all the things.”
Using a verbal cadence was just one aspect of Beck’s game in which he has more experience than other rookies. And that will speed up his learning curve, LaFleur said.
“It’s not like he hasn’t had attached tight ends,” LaFleur said. “It’s not like he hasn’t been in 12 personnel. It’s not like he hasn’t been under center and done a play-action fake or, shoot, even take a snap from under center like a lot of guys haven’t.
“So it’s just I would say the comfortability of playing under center, playing in the gun, playing with different formations, motions and stuff like that. It’s not the end all, be all by any means, but definitely if there was a tie, you’d say, ‘Yeah, I want the guy that’s actually done some of that over the guy that hasn’t.'”
While he has the experience of calling a cadence and taking snaps under center, what Beck doesn’t have is the pressure of being a first-round pick. And the Cardinals don’t have the pressure of playing the third-rounder as if he were a first-round pick.
LaFleur won’t shy away from admitting that pressure actually exists, but he wants to bring Beck along at a pace in which he can develop. And LaFleur wants the urgency that his coaching staff will show in coaching Beck to be matched by Beck.
Beck understands that every day will be a “learning experience,” even if he ends up playing as a rookie.
“You are consistently and constantly learning, just through game experience, through practice experience, meetings,” Beck said. “I mean, just talking to guys around the facility, just trying to get all the little breadcrumbs that I can from each and every person. But again, everybody wants to play football, especially at the position of quarterback.
“You want to be the guy out there. It’s such an interesting position and why I think it’s the best position on Earth is that there’s only one guy out there. It’s not like wide receiver. If you’re in 11 personnel, you got three guys out there. D-line, you’re a four-down team, you got four guys out there. At quarterback, there’s one guy out there doing it. So, I mean, obviously I would love to play and perform, but again, we’ll see where that takes me and really just showing up and going to go to work.”
Josh WeinfussMay 13, 2026, 06:00 AM ETCloseJosh Weinfuss is a staff writer who covers the Arizona Cardinals and the NFL at ESPN. Josh has covered the Cardinals since 2012, joining ESPN in 2013. He is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and a graduate of Indiana University.Follow on XMultiple Authors
CloseJosh Weinfuss is a staff writer who covers the Arizona Cardinals and the NFL at ESPN. Josh has covered the Cardinals since 2012, joining ESPN in 2013. He is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and a graduate of Indiana University.Follow on X
LaFleur said the cadence can be “a massive weapon.”
If a defense can pick up on a quarterback’s cadence, LaFleur said it turns into a disadvantage.
Wherever he is, whether that’s on the field or on the bench.
Saban: Carson Beck has everything you’d want in a QB (0:24)Nick Saban raves about Carson Beck’s attributes after the QB was drafted by the Cardinals. (0:24)