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Trey Benson is ready to replace injured James Conner as Cardinals RB for 3 reasons

Trey Benson is ready to replace injured James Conner as Cardinals RB for 3 reasons

The young running back can get the job done.

Trey Benson is ready to replace injured James Conner as Cardinals RB for 3 reasons originally appeared on The Sporting News

No one wanted to see James Conner's season end with a gruesome injury on Sunday.

But life goes on for the Arizona Cardinals, who are quickly turned around to play Thursday Night Football against the Seattle Seahawks to open Week 4. And it's Trey Benson who will have to prove he belongs as their new starting running back.

Benson had already begun to eat into Conner's playing time a bit, but now the Cardinals will have no choice. They can also put Emari Demercado out there, but Benson seems like the most likely top option.

And there are plenty of reasons to believe in Benson.

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3 reasons to believe in Trey Benson

Athleticism

Benson has always been a star athlete. He dominated his final two high school seasons with 3,616 yards and 48 TDs, then went to Oregon and Florida State.

And at the NFL Combine, Benson went off.

He ran a 4.39-second 40-yard dash, vertical jumped 33.5 inches, broad jumped 10 feet, 2 inches and put up 23 reps on the bench press.

Florida State success

Benson struggled in his time at Oregon, but when he arrived at FSU, he shined.

He had a 990-yard season in 2022, averaging 6.4 yards per carry, and added 906 yards (5.8 ypc) in 2023. Both seasons, he had a nose for the end zone, combining for 23 rushing touchdowns in his two campaigns with the Seminoles.

Benson also caught 20 passes for 227 yards in his final season with the 'Noles.

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Early NFL returns

Trey Benson has been solid already as an NFL player after the Cardinals chose him in the 2024 third round.

As a rookie, Benson averaged 4.6 yards per carry in limited action.

This season, he's averaging 6.0 yards per carry (21 for 125. He also already has eight catches for 45 yards, which tops his rookie year output in receptions already.

Benson ran 10 times for 42 yards and caught three passes for nine yards in Week 3 when Conner went down. He'll have to be ready for an even bigger workload now.

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