The Arizona Cardinals’ season has unraveled quickly. After a promising 2-0 start, it seemed like things could finally be turning around for the franchise. However, a combination of injuries and underwhelming performances, particularly in clutch moments, has completely derailed their momentum.
One of the biggest hurdles has been the ground game. After losing James Conner for the season, the Cardinals suffered a second major blow when Trey Benson was also ruled out for an extended period. Now, as Benson nears his return, one medical expert is expressing caution about his timeline.
When Will Trey Benson Return to the Cardinals’ Backfield?
During a Week 4 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks, Benson went down with a knee injury that landed him on the injured reserve list. He has not taken a single snap since, and the Cardinals have collapsed to a 3-7 record. With quarterback Kyler Murray also placed on injured reserve, any hopes of a playoff push have nearly been extinguished.
However, there might be some good news coming for the running back room. After tallying 160 rushing yards in his short time on the field, Benson should be returning sooner rather than later. His 21-day window to return from the injured reserve list was activated, and he participated in practice on Wednesday in a limited capacity.
What caught the attention of the fan base was the absence of a brace on his knee, which sparked optimism about his availability for the Week 12 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Unfortunately, one sports doctor isn’t buying into that hope.
Jeff Mueller, who identifies as a doctor of physical therapy on X and regularly provides injury analysis, reacted to a video of Benson practicing at the team’s facility.
He wrote, “I’m going to guess week 13-14 return for Trey Benson. But we’ll see.” In Benson’s absence, the backfield responsibilities fell to Emari Demercado, but his own injury forced Bam Knight into the starting role.
With a combination of Jacoby Brissett and Knight leading the offense, there has been very little hope for Arizona to be a competitive force. This instability has clearly taken a toll on their productivity, as the team ranks 20th on PFSN’s Offense Impact metric.
The struggles were apparent even on history-making nights. For instance, in Week 11, Brissett set an NFL record for completions, but the team still lost 41-22. At this point, it looks like the 2025-26 season is all but over for the team.
Still, a return for the sophomore running back late in the year could be valuable. It would allow the Cardinals to gauge how well Benson fits into their system moving forward, as it would play a role in the team’s plan for the 2026 NFL Draft.
Benson was a 3rd round pick. You don’t get a 5th year option on a 3rd rounder