Should the Rams have drafted Carson Beck instead?

Les Snead had his blinders on when it came to picking a quarterback in the 2026 NFL Draft, as the Rams’ GM was even the one who convinced Ty Simpson to enter this year so that L.A. could pick him 13th overall. That’s exactly what the Rams did and there wasn’t any apparent consideration to wait for day two and draft Carson Beck instead, so it’s fitting that the rookie third-round pick of the Arizona Cardinals will make his NFL debut against L.A. on Sunday.Beck is now in position to start the rest of the season with the Cardinals, giving him a head start on Simpson to show the Cardinals if they made the right decision or not.Carson Beck thrived in the preseason. Now, he's suddenly QB1. https://t.co/xIOxNbYa7i— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 9, 2026Beck was one of Arizona’s standouts in the preseason, but that is a much different game than starting against professional, starting, superstar caliber players like Myles Garrett. This will be an even harder test for Beck because the Cardinals placed number one receiver Michael Wilson on season-ending IR this week.Instead, Beck’s top wideouts will be Simi Fehoko, Reggie Virgil, and Devin Duvernay.Ironically, nobody can say for sure which team will have the better receiver room on Sunday since the Rams have lost Puka Nacua for a period of time, possibly joining Davante Adams on IR soon. L.A. is set to start some combination of Tutu Atwell, C.J. Daniels, and Konata Mumpfield.Carson Beck is going to debut against Myles Garrett + Aaron Donald on Sunday. His starting wide receivers will be Simi Fehoko, Reggie Virgil and Devin Duvernay.— Kyle Odegard (@Kyle_Odegard) November 9, 2026Beck will have the best pass catcher in the game period, as Trey McBride was a first team All-Pro in 2025. McBride has a league-leading 73 catches in 2026.The opportunity to throw to a tight end is not new to Beck, a former teammate of Brock Bowers at Georgia. Although Carson didn’t lead Georgia to a national championship like predecessor Stetson Bennett (twice), he had success there and then nearly won a national championship with Miami as a transfer in 2025.The Cardinals are decimated at WR. TE Trey McBride is Carson Beck's only established playmaker. Beck is no stranger to an offense built around an elite TE, Brock Bowers was the focal point at Georgia in 2023. pic.twitter.com/n20pQ7ELX3— Bo Brack (@BoBrack) November 11, 2026Similar to Bennett, few people in the NFL actually see Beck as a starter. He lacks the arm strength that most NFL starters have, he hasn’t proven to have a good ability to read a defense, and he has made poor decisions too often. He is also not a good athlete. Arizona’s offense shouldn’t be unpredictable or surprising, and Mike LaFleur will have his work cut out for him against his old team this time.Carson Beck is making his first start this week against the Rams. I expect the Cardinals to keep things simple, get the ball out fast, and space out the defense for zone-beaters. Here's a look back at his collegiate profile on @RecepPerceptionpic.twitter.com/vtDytFCwph— Alfredo Brown (@AlfredoABrown) November 10, 2026This doesn’t make Beck a better or worse prospect than Simpson. It just makes him the 2026 rookie who started first. And he’s not alone.Coincidentally, Tuesday’s trade of Kirk Cousins has opened the door for Fernando Mendoza to start against the Seattle Seahawks. Mendoza, like Beck and Stafford, won’t have much to work with except for his starting tight end. Also in this case, Bowers.Meanwhile, the Rams have no plans to see Simpson this season. Unless there’s a situation where L.A. has nothing to play for in Week 17 or Week 18, even the backup continues to be Bennett. McVay might only play Simpson if the Rams are either locked into a playoff seed or knocked out of the playoffs altogether. Beck is being forced into action early because the Cardinals benched — then traded — Jacoby Brissett, and now Gardner Minshew is on IR.Beck got the call. Will he answer?Cardinals to Carson Beck pic.twitter.com/bCI3mkBMWG— SleeperNFL (@SleeperNFL) November 9, 2026