Gardner Minshew takes over as the Cardinals' starter, and Jacoby Brissett drops to third string

Gardner Minshew is the Arizona Cardinals' starting quarterback going forward, coach Mike LaFleur said Monday, and Jacoby Brissett, who had started all eight games, is now the third quarterback.

Rookie Carson Beck, a third-round pick who had been the emergency third quarterback, moves up to the backup job, ESPN's Josh Weinfuss reported.

The decision follows Sunday's 33-30 overtime win over Dallas. Minshew replaced Brissett with 1:35 left in the third quarter, and Arizona scored touchdowns on all four possessions he led in regulation before his overtime drive set up Chad Ryland's 42-yard winning field goal. Minshew went 17 for 23 for 188 yards and three touchdowns. Brissett was 10 for 23 for 119 yards and was sacked four times before he came out.

LaFleur called it a gut decision because he thought the team "needed a spark."

"He kind of showed all of us in terms of him going out there being the competitor that he is," LaFleur said of Minshew. "Doesn't shock me, obviously. The production was pretty wild in terms of the amount of points and just moving up and down the field."

He said telling Brissett was hard. "It's not a fun phone call," LaFleur said. "There's no book for that, obviously. There's a human element to it." He added that Sunday's struggles were "not all on him."

Putting Beck at No. 2 says a lot about where Arizona is. The Cardinals are 3-5, and LaFleur said moving Beck up was "the right thing to do" for his development, since he will get scout-team work. Beck has been inactive for all eight games and has dealt with back spasms, but LaFleur said the rookie is "feeling really good right now" and has a full grasp of the game plan.

LaFleur also said he spoke with players before making the announcement public so nobody in the locker room was surprised. "I'm not worried about our locker room," he said.

What's next: Minshew makes his first start of the season Sunday at Seattle, a 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff on FOX. The Seahawks are coming off a 34-17 loss to Chicago on Monday night.