Gardner Minshew's Torn UCL Leaves the Cardinals Handing the Keys to a Rookie

Gardner Minshew tearing a ligament in his throwing arm and deciding to just play through it for another half of football is the most Gardner Minshew sentence ever typed. But for the Arizona Cardinals, the novelty wears off immediately.

According to Ian Rapoport, the veteran quarterback is feared to have suffered a torn UCL in his right arm during Sunday's game. He is undergoing more tests, but the expectation is that he is done for the season and staring down months of rehab.

"Ian Rapoport reported Minshew is feared to have a torn UCL and could be out for the season."

The fact that Minshew suffered this before halftime and stayed out there explains a lot about Arizona's brutal 17-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. You cannot throw an NFL football without a functioning elbow, even if you have the pain tolerance of a 1970s hockey enforcer.

This leaves the 3-6 Cardinals in an absolute crater. They are already buried at the bottom of the NFC West, and anyone looking at the betting markets knows this offense is about to get priced like a Division II squad playing a guarantee game.

Enter Carson Beck. The rookie third-round pick is now the next man up for head coach Mike LaFleur. Handing the keys to a rookie in the middle of a lost season behind a struggling offensive line is a recipe for some truly unwatchable television.

Minshew had just taken over the starting job, trying to stabilize a rebuilding roster that has been decimated by injuries. Instead, the football gods decided Arizona hasn't suffered enough.

We will wait for the final MRI results, but the Cardinals need to start preparing for the Carson Beck era immediately. If you hold any Arizona futures or fantasy shares, it is officially time to look away.