The Arizona Cardinals are going into the 2026 season with arguably the best running back room in the league. The offense will improve this year with several new pieces in place.
The Cardinals went into training camp with a packed and talented running back room.
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Having selected Jeremiyah Love with the third overall pick in this year’s NFL draft added to the talent of the group. Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort had already signed Tyler Allgeier from the Atlanta
Falcons during the free agency period. Bam Knight and Corey Kiner were also re-signed from last year’s roster.
However, there were two big question marks: Veterans James Conner and Trey Benson. Both were injured and placed on IR last year. What was their status? Training camp was expected to answer those concerns. At the beginning of last year, both were the starting running backs. And now?
On Monday, the questions regarding Benson were answered. The Cardinals released him with a waiver/injury designation. He came to Arizona as a third-round draft pick in the 2024 NFL Draft after two seasons at Florida State when he rushed for 990 and 906 yards in his final two seasons. He also scored 23 touchdowns during this time span, so he knew where the end zone was.
Teams don’t usually release third-round draft picks after just two seasons. What were the reasons why the coaching staff gave up on him?
Lack of trade market
Benson had a great opportunity when Conner went down to injury in Week 3 last year. Unfortunately, Benson suffered a significant meniscus injury the following week and was also placed on IR after surgery. But the recovery has lingered into training camp this year.
Benson certainly had trade value – if he was healthy. Certainly, the club wasn’t going to keep all eight running backs on the roster, and he was a third-round pick. During training camp, Benson had a flare-up with his left knee that kept him out of practices. He did not play in any preseason games and wasn’t practicing.
The team had an option to place him on IR once again, which would have ended his season. This would have allowed Benson to get completely healthy and come back next year. They could also have kept him on the 53-man roster and then, the following day, placed him on IR, which would have allowed the Cardinals to bring him back at some point during this season.
By being sidelined, this eliminated any trade interest. Nobody wants a vehicle that has a blown engine.
Too many health issues
The injury last year wasn’t pretty. It came at a horrible time in Benson’s athletic career. When Conner went down, it was Benson’s chance to become the starting back for an NFL club, and he went down in the very next game. His practice window opened up, but the coaching staff never reinstated him.
His meniscus injury has caused issues, which have kept Benson out of practices and games.
In his rookie year, he had an ankle injury that caused him to miss the final two games. He was placed on IR because of his injury. As a rookie, Benson finished the season with 291 yards and a touchdown on 63 carries and 59 yards on six catches, so he didn’t tear up the league or get named to the NFL All-Rookie Team.
In college, he missed the entire 2020 season with a torn ACL.
Benson is a talented back – that is a known commodity. However, all of this points to him being injury-prone, and in all likelihood, that would continue. No club wants to pay a guy to sit on IR, especially repeatedly.
Other backs shoved Benson out the door
Most NFL teams keep either three or four backs. The Cardinals have eight in camp. That means whoever isn’t named Love and Allgeier must have a great camp and preseason to be retained.
Conner has been given the first option to stay. Even though the coaching staff is new and hasn’t gotten comfortable with him, they all know his athletic background. He is a bruising back, so his goal-line presence is a huge plus. He is a nine-year veteran who has rushed for over 6,000 yards with 72 touchdowns scored.
And other running backs have shown promise.
In the three preseason games, Bam Knight had 12 carries for 58 yards (Panthers), led the team in rushing, 3 carries for 15 yards (Raiders), and no stats against Dallas. He also did not have any kickoff returns, which has been one of his duties in the past.
Corey Kiner had 10 carries for 29 yards and a touchdown against the Cowboys; he led all rushers against the Raiders with 10 carries for 59 yards and had 14 carries for 57 yards and one TD in the Hall of Fame Game.
Even Evan Hull has shown the coaches something and led all rushers with 11 carries for 51 yards against Dallas. Conner has not carried the ball yet in the preseason. Most likely, the coaches do not want him to become re-injured and will wait until the regular-season games begin. That is, if he remains on the roster.
One – or two – of these players have played sound, practiced well, and have shown more promise than a guy who is more likely to end up on IR rather than get 1,000-yards in a season.
Benson cleared waivers and reverted to the Cardinals. The decision now is to keep him, place Benson on IR and rehab him in the building, or settle with him and outright release him. If that occurs, he will be on his own to get his body right. That decision matters more to him than the diagnosis does. Most likely, he will head to injured reserve or receive an injury/settlement designation.
