Running back James Conner is coming off a terrific year, having rumbled for a career-high 1,094 rushing yards on a career-high 236 carries. His 32 broken tackles tied for second-most in the league.
He nonetheless recognizes that Arizona may benefit from a co-lead back system between him and Trey Benson.
“It’s the situation we are in and we can’t shy away from it,” Conner said Saturday following the Cardinals’ red-white practice, per the team website. “We’ve got to talk about it and understand what’s expected. We want to be the best rushing team in football. We need that from [Trey Benson]. And the rest of the backs. We can’t shy away from those conversations.”
Benson had only 63 carries as a rookie, 15 fewer than quarterback Kyler Murray, which he turned into 291 yards and a score. Conner was just so dominant — and stayed healthy enough to play 16 games for the first time in his career — that the Cards never adapted a full-blown workshare.
And while the Cardinals certainly expect a lot from Conner again in 2025, as evidenced by their decision to extend him last November, he’s now 30 years old with a lengthy injury history. It only makes sense the team gravitates toward a more combined effort to improving upon its seventh-ranked rushing offense.
Head coach Jonathan Gannon mentioned Benson hopefully developing into a second RB1 back in February. Benson echoed similar sentiments in June. Now, it’s Conner touching on the reality of the situation.
The Cardinals may turn to Benson a lot more in his second season, in doing so keeping Conner fresh and the running game humming.