Revenge of the Birds
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...
