The Arizona Cardinals lost a pair of massive contributors to their offense in back-to-back weeks.
Running back James Conner went down with an ankle injury, being carted off the field against the San Fransisco 49ers in Week 3. Head coach Jonathan Gannon then confirmed that Conner will miss the remainder of the 2025 season as he undergoes surgery.
One week later, backup Trey Benson was placed on injured reserved after sustaining a knee injury vs. the Seattle Seahawks. He'll miss at least four weeks as a result of the malady.
Arizona, 2-2 this season, will have to continue on without Conner and Benson. While Kyler Murray still has Trey McBride and Marvin Harrison Jr. as his top weapons in the passing game, the Cardinals' running back room will be getting a shake-up.
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Here's a look at Arizona's running back depth chart following the Conner injury.
MORE: How long will CeeDee Lamb be out for the Cowboys?
Cardinals RB depth chart
| Position | Player |
| 1 | James Conner (out) |
| 2 | Trey Benson (out) |
| 3 | Emari Demercado |
| 4 | Bam Knight |
James Conner (out)
Conner was coming off consecutive 1,000-yard seasons for Arizona. While not the flashiest, he has remained one of the most consistent running backs in the NFL throughout his career; Conner's injury removes an aspect of reliability from Arizona's backfield.
The former Pittsburgh Steelers back joined the Cardinals in 2021, and he scored at least seven touchdowns on the ground in the three seasons after. Last year, Conner set career-highs with his 1,094 rushing yards and 5.0 yards per carry.
Conner's season-ending injury involved his right ankle. He was carted off the field after a 1-yard run in the third quarter of Sunday's game, and is now reportedly set to undergo ankle surgery that will end his 2025 campaign.
Trey Benson (out)
The clear candidate for the starting job in Conner's absence was Trey Benson. The second-year back out of Florida State, who the Cardinals drafted in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft, slowly factored more into the offense throughout his brief career thus far.
As a rookie in 2024, Benson posted 291 rushing yards and one touchdown as the second-fiddle to Conner. This season, Benson has looked even better through Arizona's first few games; he went for 69 rushing yards on eight carries in Week 1 against the New Orleans Saints.
Benson stepped in for Conner in Week 3, totaling 42 rushing yards and nine receiving yards in Arizona's loss. He was expected to see the bulk of the rushing attempts for the Cardinals moving forward and found some success, averaging 5.5 yards per carry across 29 rushes.
Trey Benson goes 29 yards!
— NFL (@NFL) September 21, 2025
AZvsSF on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/mf8qW3fFmt
His absence will place those responsibilities on the shoulders of another two members of Arizona's RB room: Emari Demercado and Bam Knight.
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Emari Demercado
Often utilized as a receiving back, Emari Demercado should see an increased role without Conner and Benson. The third-year Cardinal as factored into his team's offense each season since joining Arizona in 2023.
Demercado's 2024 mark of 9.3 yards per carry over 24 attempts was impressive, but he's been at his best when Murray tosses him the rock in passing situations. He snagged a touchdown in the Cardinals' loss to Seattle in Week 4 and combined for 37 catches between 2023 and 2024.
With Conner and Benson on the mend, the expectation is that Demercado will receive the largest rushing workload, serving as the team's three-down back for the foreseeable future. Given his success in both the running and passing games last year, that might not be so bad for Arizona going forward.
Bam Knight
Conner's injury didn't immediately affect Knight. Benson's does, propelling the fourth-year tailback to RB2 in Arizona's current RB depth chart.
Knight is with his third team in four seasons in the NFL. An NC State alum, the 24-year-old had a solid rookie year in 2022 after signing with the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent. Despite starting that season on the practice squad, Knight set a Jets record with 103 yards from scrimmage in his November debut with the team.
However, he's struggled to find that kind of success since. Knight spent time on the Detroit Lions' practice squad in 2023, including time on IR, then returned to the Jets' practice squad in 2024.
Knight made the Cardinals' 53-man roster in August as a depth option to Conner, Benson and Demercado. He also had a nice preseason, including a 67-yard score against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Bam Knight turns on the speed for a 67-yard TD!
— NFL (@NFL) August 24, 2025
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Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/cbv52C6pCV
Knight wasn't expected to draw much playing time ahead of the season. He has now emerged a critical insurance piece, one who will likely see a decent number of snaps in the coming few weeks.