The injury hits keep coming for Arizona Cardinals running backs.
Two weeks after Trey Benson went to injured reserve with a knee injury — and three weeks after James Conner’s season ended with a foot injury — the Cardinals will be without Emari Demercado, who was ruled out of their Week 7 game against the Green Bay Packers by head coach Jonathan Gannon.
Demercado exited the Cardinals’ Week 6 loss to the Indianapolis Colts with an ankle injury early in the second quarter and did not return.
The lone healthy running backs on the Cardinals’ 53-man roster are now Bam Knight and Michael Carter, although the team will likely elevate either D’Ernest Johnson or Jermar Jefferson from the practice squad to provide depth in Week 7.
Demercado’s injury could have a knock-on effect for both Knight and Carter.
In Week 6, Carter began the game as the Cardinals’ starting running back — despite pregame reports that Knight could take over as the starter.
Before Demercado’s injury, Carter had five rush attempts, to one apiece for Knight and Demercado — although Knight’s attempt came on a goal-line touchdown run. Demercado had seen the lone running back target.
After Demercado’s injury, Knight had 10 rush attempts, to just four for Carter. Carter saw five targets, while Knight saw just two.
That was a conscious shift, Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon said after the game, as he wanted Carter to take over for Demercado as the Cardinals’ receiving back.
“We kinda have their roles structured how we have them with the plan,” Gannon said at the time. “So I don’t know if it’ll be the same next week. But with Emari going down, then Mike was gonna have to pick up a little more third down.
“That’s why you saw a little more first and second down with Bam. But they were all gonna touch it and play today.”
In his final news conference ahead of Week 7, Gannon did not offer much additional insight into what his running back rotation could look like against the Packers.
“We’ve got a good plan,” he said.
When asked whether he liked how the snaps unfolded after Demercado’s injury last week, Gannon replied with only one word: “Yeah.”
For now, the most likely outcome seems to be that the Cardinals will repeat that plan against the Packers, although it was difficult to assess a clear order between Carter and Knight during the open portion of the team’s practices this week.
The backs rotated the first-team snaps in individual drills.