Arizona Cardinals Running Back Trey Benson Headed To Injured Reserve
The Arizona Cardinals placed Running Back Trey Benson on injured reserve on Wednesday after the rookie underwent arthroscopic knee surgery, and honestly, this feels like watching a slow-motion car crash at this point. How will the team fare in his absence?
What Happened To Benson?
Cardinals RB Trey Benson is being placed on injured reserve due to his knee injury. pic.twitter.com/MiWZHtfHj6
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 1, 2025
The third-round pick out of Florida State suffered a meniscus injury during Thursday night’s gut-wrenching loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Here’s the kicker, though – nobody’s quite sure exactly when it happened during the game. Head Coach Jonathan Gannon admitted Benson probably played through the pain for part of the contest, which sounds about right for a rookie trying to prove himself.
The knee didn’t start barking until Friday’s post-game treatment session, when the medical staff took a deeper dive and discovered the damage. Surgery followed, and now Benson’s looking at 4-6 weeks on the shelf. At least he’s expected to return this season, unlike some other Cardinals we could mention.
The Timing Couldn’t Be Worse
Here’s where it gets really painful for Cardinals fans. Benson had just taken over as the starter after James Conner suffered a season-ending foot injury in Week 3 against San Francisco. The youngster was finally getting his shot, and in his debut as the primary ball carrier against Seattle, he managed 35 rushing yards on eight carries plus five catches for 19 yards before his knee said “nope.”
Now Arizona’s staring down the barrel of their third different starting running back in as many weeks, and frankly, the depth chart looks about as thin as airport coffee.
Who Steps Up Next For Arizona?
With Benson sidelined, the Cardinals are turning to a committee approach that includes Emari Demercado, Michael Carter, and Bam Knight. Combined, this trio has exactly five carries for the season – yeah, you read that right, five total carries.
Demercado seems like the logical choice given his experience as the traditional third-down back, but Gannon isn’t ready to crown anyone just yet. “I don’t know,” he said when asked if Demercado could handle all three downs. “We’ll see how the week goes.” The team also signed Jermar Jefferson to the practice squad on Wednesday, because at this point, why not throw another name into the mix?
Impact On the Cardinals’ Season
Losing your top two running backs in consecutive weeks would test any team’s depth, but for a Cardinals squad already fighting for relevance, this feels like a particularly cruel twist of fate. Benson was leading the team in rushing with 160 yards on 29 carries for a solid 5.5 yards per attempt, though he hadn’t found the end zone yet.
The silver lining? Benson will miss at least four games due to IR rules, but with three games until the bye week, he could potentially return as early as Week 10. That timeline actually works out better than it initially sounds, giving the rookie time to fully heal before making his comeback.
For now, Cardinals fans can only hope this running back carousel doesn’t derail what started as a promising season. Sometimes in the NFL, it’s not about having the best plan – it is about surviving long enough to execute any plan at all.
