The Arizona Cardinals were a mess this past season concerning the running back room. Both starter James Conner and his primary backup, Trey Benson, became injured early in the season.
What occurred next was that their RB3, Emari Demercado, was forced into the lineup as the new starting running back. His backups then became guys who were lingering on somebody’s practice squad and were suddenly needed to take significant snaps.
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The result? Of
course, it was a mess. Part of the reason is that the offensive line was ranked #26. No team can be successful with an established run game without a very good line to open holes.
With his 4.39 speed, Benson was drafted to complement the bruising style of starting RB Conner. In Week 3, Conner went down when he suffered a foot injury, to which Benson stepped in as next man up. However, in the following game against the Seattle Seahawks, Benson was also lost for the season with a meniscus injury.
Benson was originally ruled out for 4-6 weeks after undergoing arthroscopic surgery. Instead of taking over the starting RB role for Arizona, Benson joined Conner on IR.
From this point on, Benson’s issues with his injury and rehab have been a mystery. What is going on with him? Where does he stand with his injury status? Is his goal to be ready for training camp? Week 1? This year?
Benson had his opportunity to become an NFL starting running back after Conner was injured and then lost for the season. He had a great practice week, started the game, and then went down in the Thursday Night Football matchup after just eight carries and 37 snaps. It wasn’t known right off if the injury needed attention, but the next morning, Benson woke up at 5:00 a.m. with a swollen knee. He called the trainer, who then ordered an MRI.
His 21-day window opened for him to return in early December. During this time period, the load was being taken care of by Demercado, Bam Knight, Michael Carter, and Corey Kiner. Knight also ended up on IR with an ankle issue. Kiner was signed off the practice squad of the Minnesota Vikings, while Carter had been sitting on the Cardinals’ practice squad.
But Benson rushed his rehab. When Conner was announced to be out for the remainder of the season, Benson saw this as his chance to show what he could do at the NFL level after being a stud running back earlier at Florida State. Benson wanted to return, and he didn’t want to waste any time.
When his window opened, Benson still wasn’t ready to practice, much less play a live football game. What was not revealed was that Benson had a setback during his rehab, and he didn’t divulge it. When his window opened, and he attempted to practice, the coaches noticed something was wrong. After an examination, they determined that the last thing he needed to be doing was playing football. The end result was that Benson was shut down for the remainder of 2025.
Last year’s head coach, Jonathan Gannon, then announced:
“We will not activate Trey Benson. (He) just hasn’t progressed to the point that he can go out there and play football right now.”
Benson was asked about his rehab and the setback. He told Donnie Druin of Sports Illustrated:
“I was feeling good. My window got open, I was feeling good — then boom. I think I was going a little too hard, and then I kind of had a setback. But I put that on me, though.”
This meant he had to continue rehab during the offseason instead of coming off his rehabilitation sessions.
With the various OTAs and minicamps, Benson was still not participating in regular drills. The Arizona coaching staff was continuing to manage his workload as he worked his way back to full strength. Instead of going through team drills, he was seen working with trainers off to the side.
“I put it on me. I think I was going a little bit too hard, and I kind of set myself back. I just had a sense of urgency to get back.”
Arthroscopic surgery to repair his meniscus is no joke. That is a horrible injury for a receiver, defensive back, or running back to have. It affects cuts, acceleration, change of direction, and deceleration abilities.
Benson had made a few terrific plays during his short amount of time with the Cardinals after being taken in Round 3 of the 2024 NFL draft. Last season was supposed to be a much better productive season for the talented back, and with the loss of Conner, the heavens opened up for him. But just as quickly, the clouds closed up tight, and he was nowhere fast.
The timing of his injury and setback could not have come at a worse time. Benson surmised:
“I was going a little hard. Things happened – it wasn’t my time.”
With both Conner and Benson sidelined, and Demercado and Carter signing free agent deals with new clubs, the franchise didn’t want a repeat of 2025 by having no choice but to use backups and practice squad guys as their main running attack.
The Cardinals selected Notre Dame stallion Jeremiyah Love with the third overall pick in this year’s NFL draft. GM Monti Ossenfort also signed Tyler Allgeier during the free agency period as Love’s new running mate. Conner and Benson have remained under contract.
Knight was re-signed while Kiner was inked to a reserve/futures deal. What this means is that the Cardinals’ running back room is stuffed with competent players. Most teams only keep three RBs, with the rare exception of adding a fourth guy to the roster if he proves valuable in special teams, either as a return man or becomes a very good tackler on kickoff and punt coverage units.
There have been whispers that Arizona might trade either Conner or Benson, but Benson hasn’t shown that he is completely healthy. This means the number of clubs that are willing to take on a guy who isn’t anywhere near 100% is very slim. If the Cardinals outright release him, they will get nothing in return. They can’t waive him on the final cutdown with the idea to stash him on the practice squad because he won’t pass through waivers.
In 2024, Arizona carried four running backs on the final roster. Deejay Dallas and Demercado were the backups behind Conner and Benson, who is under contract with the Cardinals through 2027.
But when a club keeps an extra RB, this equates to losing a guy that could be useful along the defensive line, or as an extra tight end, or losing another cornerback. It is perceived as risky to keep more than three backs.
Perhaps Benson can just slot in and play special teams. With his speed, he shouldn’t have any issue learning what to do once he is completely healthy. As it stands right now, what will probably happen is the loser of the RB3 job gets waived or traded. Conner has been a complete wrecking ball, but will he be satisfied with limited carries per game or want to move on to a team that will actually use him?
That’s the life of a depth piece in the NFL.
