The Arizona Cardinals have suffered another major blow to their running back room. The Cardinals have placed second-year running back Trey Benson on injured reserve. According to NFL Insider Adam Schefter, running back Trey Benson underwent arthroscopic surgery on his meniscus and is expected to miss 4-to-6 weeks.
The Cardinals have already lost two-time Pro Bowl running back James Conner for the year as he suffered a season-ending foot injury against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 3.
Who’s next in line for touches in the Cardinals’ backfield? Let’s take a look.
Michael Carter
This week, the Arizona Cardinals signed Michael Carter to the 53-man roster from the practice squad. Since 2023, Carter has appeared in 10 games with Arizona, recording 281 rushing yards and one touchdown on 58 carries. He is also a receiving threat, catching 20 passes for 90 receiving yards and one touchdown.
Emari Demercado
The Arizona Cardinals signed running back Emari Demercado as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2023. Since then, the former TCU product has appeared in 31 games with the Cardinals, recording 515 yards rushing and 236 yards receiving. Demercado’s 284 rushing yards as a rookie were the most in franchise history by an undrafted rookie.
With Benson injured on Thursday Night Football, Emari Demercado earned a few touches in the 4th quarter against the Seattle Seahawks. He rushed for 8 yards on two carries. He added two receptions for 15 yards and one score.
Zonovan Knight
The forgotten man of the Arizona Cardinals backfield is Zonovan “Bam” Knight. Knight (5-11, 210) earned a spot on the initial 53-man roster back in August. Through four games this season, Zonovan Knight has only seen the field on special teams.
However, Bam Knight had a strong preseason, rushing for 138 yards on 12 carries—a whopping 11.5 yards per carry. Week 3 of the preseason, Knight had a highlight reel 67-yard touchdown run against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Summary
The Arizona Cardinals’ backfield is currently up for grabs. Now it is up to one of these running backs to seize the opportunity.
“We obviously know we’ve got to pick up that role, but feel good about Bam and Emari and Mike Carter,” Jonathan Gannon said. “I’m sure all three of them will play.”
–Follow Dan Loya on X @DLoya_NFL
