The Arizona Cardinals’ offense has taken multiple hits this season. Not only did they lose starting running back James Conner for the year, but they’ve also been without Trey Benson for the past three games after he was placed on injured reserve following meniscus surgery.
Here’s the latest on Benson’s status ahead of Arizona’s Week 9 matchup with the Dallas Cowboys and his recovery timeline.
When Will Trey Benson Return For the Cardinals?
With Conner sidelined, the Cardinals were counting on Benson, their third-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, to step in as the starting running back. However, on Oct. 1, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Benson underwent arthroscopic surgery on his meniscus, an injury expected to keep him out for four to six weeks.
As a result, Arizona placed the young running back on injured reserve, which requires him to miss at least four games. Benson has sat out three so far, and with the Cardinals coming off their Week 8 bye, his earliest possible return would be in Week 10.
This means the Cardinals will again be without Benson for their Week 9 Monday Night Football matchup against the Cowboys on Nov. 3. Arizona’s offense has struggled without a consistent running game, ranking 23rd in the league this season according to PFSN’s OFFi metric.
With Benson and Conner sidelined, the Cardinals have relied on Zonovan “Bam” Knight, Michael Carter, and Emari Demercado to carry the workload at running back. However, none have made much of an impact, combining for just 289 rushing yards this season.
The Cardinals’ lack of a rushing attack has put more pressure on quarterback Kyler Murray, and he’s struggled as a result. Through seven games, Murray ranks 22nd among NFL quarterbacks in PFSN’s QBi metric, well below the standard fans have come to expect from the seventh-year signal-caller.
Arizona has stumbled to a 2-5 record this season, sitting dead last in the NFC West. The Cardinals need to turn things around quickly if they want to salvage their season, and Benson’s return could be the spark that helps them do it.
While he’ll be out for Week 9, a potential return in Week 10 against the Seattle Seahawks could give Arizona’s struggling offense some much-needed juice. There’s still no guarantee he’ll be ready for that matchup, but when Benson was initially placed on injured reserve, the team made it clear they expect him back at some point this season.
If the Cardinals can stay afloat and pick up a win or two while Benson finishes recovering, there’s still a chance they could make a late push for the playoffs.
