The Cardinals had a major offensive loss in Week 3 when running back James Conner suffered a foot injury that requires season-ending surgery.
Conner has been central to the Arizona offense over the last four years, but the offseason did feature some chatter about 2024 third-round pick Trey Benson taking some work off of Conner’s plate. That was seen as a bonus at the time and it will now be essential if the Cardinals want to finish the year with a trip to the playoffs.
The word in Arizona this week has been that the Cardinals believe Benson can handle the role. Quarterback Kyler Murray said the team has “ultimate confidence” in the second-year back and head coach Jonathan Gannon thinks he’ll improve thanks to the uptick in playing time.
“I’m fully confident in Trey, I really am,” Gannon said, via Tyler Drake of ArizonaSports.com. “I think the more he plays, the more comfortable you see him getting and the better he’s going to be.”
Benson won’t be able to carry the offense alone, but the Cardinals will need him to provide a lot of what they got from Conner in order to get where they want to go this year.
