“Even if I were to be the guy at some point, you are constantly learning, through game experience, through past experience, meetings, just talking to guys around the facility, you’re trying to get breadcrumbs from each and every person,” Beck said.
“There’s only one guy out there (at quarterback). … Obviously, I would love to play and perform but again, we’ll see where it takes me.”
Beck, like the other rookies, have been participating on Zoom calls with coaches for the past week or so, prepping for some on-field work Friday and Saturday before joining the veterans for the offseason program beginning on Monday.
If he truly finds his way into an open competition, it’ll be his first since winning the job at Georgia in 2023. That had been his dream, to start for the Bulldogs, and why he bided his time for three seasons (and two national championships) on the bench before taking over behind center.
He tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his right (throwing) elbow in the SEC championship game in 2024, and when he transferred to Miami in 2025, he was still in a brace when workouts started.
“That’s the mental battle with an injury like that and at the quarterback position that’s probably the worst injury you could possibly have,” Beck said. “You realize, ‘Man, I just want to be out there and be able to play football. This sucks.'”
During some down time in his hometown of Jacksonville, he finally was allowed to throw about 10 yards. Two weeks into that stage of rehab, he was told, “Let it rip, you’re being timid.”
He let one fly and realized he was OK. That, he said, was the moment he knew he was back. Now, a year-and-a-half after surgery, his arm is as strong as it’s ever been, the injury a distant memory. Miami made the national championship game with Beck at the helm.
Still, he knows there are people who doubt he can succeed on this level, who wonder about his arm after the injury, who see a player who spent six years in college. He acknowledged he’s had a lot of highs and plenty of lows – Cardinals coach Mike LaFleur said one of the things he likes about Beck is that he has been through some “stuff” – but he can’t listen to any of it. Criticism or praise.
“It’s all poison,” he said.
What he plans to do is learn about being an NFL quarterback during these days in Tempe. He’s played a lot of high-stakes college football, and that should aid his path. But he still needs to work at it.
“Experience is nothing,” Beck said, “if there is no application from the lessons that you’ve learned from the experiences.”
