Jacoby Brissett was once again in place as the Cardinals’ starting quarterback to open their Week 8 game in Dallas. Late in the third quarter though, he was replaced.
Gardner Minshew took over with Arizona trailing 17-3 at the time. The veteran backup helped spark an offensive turnaround, to say the least. The Cardinals scored 27 points after making the QB swap.
Minshew went 15 for 20 while totaling 173 passing yards and three touchdowns during regulation upon entering the game. He helped lead a lengthy TD drive during the final seconds of the fourth quarter, although kicker Chad Ryland missed an extra point attempt for the first time this season. That resulted in the contest going to overtime with a Ryland field goal eventually proving to be the winning score.
Brissett took over for an injured Kyler Murray midway through last season and remained atop the depth chart even after the former No. 1 pick was healthy. Arizona moved on from Murray, setting up a season with Brissett operating as the team’s QB1 for a transitional 2026 campaign. The 11th-year veteran worked out a raise reflecting his status as a bridge starter.
Since the Cardinals selected fellow passer Carson Beck in the third round of the draft, however, many have pointed to a change in the QB pecking order. A recent report indicated Arizona will look to give Beck a run of games at some point during his rookie season. An evaluation period would make sense given Brissett and Minshew’s shared status as pending free agents along with their established track records at the NFL level.
Given how well he played today, Minshew could certainly see a stretch of time atop the depth chart. Arizona is now 3-5 thanks to the Week 8 upset win. It will be interesting to see how first-year head coach Mike LaFleur handles the QB spot moving forward.