The Arizona Cardinals have FINALLY provided a concrete injury update on running back Trey Benson.
Benson's situation has been a mystery for several weeks now. He was placed on injured reserve in Week 5 due to a knee injury that required arthroscopic surgery.
But Benson has been eligible to return since Week 10, yet there hasn't been much news on his status and when he might come back.
We finally got an update on Wednesday.
According to Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com, head coach Jonathan Gannon said that the Cardinals are designating Benson to return from injured reserve, which will open his 21-day window to practice and be activated.
When it comes to his chances of suiting up in Week 12, Gannon would not commit and only said the team is taking it day by day.
We would expect the Cardinals will want him to turn in a full practice before clearing him to play. Arizona will drop its first injury report later Wednesday.
What Trey Benson injury update means
This obviously opens the door for Benson to return to action, but whether or not that happens this week remains to be seen.
Bear in mind, the Cardinals have three weeks to make a decision, so it's possible Benson returns in Week 13 or 14, also. If Benson isn't activated after the 21 days, he'll be forced to miss the remainder of the season.
How quickly he returns will depend upon how fast he gets acclimated in the days and weeks ahead, so we're not all the way back yet, folks.
It's possible that he'll need more than the handful of days he will have this week after missing so much time.
Once he does return, the expectation is Benson will return to his lead-back duties, a role he briefly enjoyed in the wake of James Conner's season-ending injury.
Is Benson doesn't suit up in Week 12, Bam Knight will continue to lead the Cards' backfield, and he will be spelled by Michael Carter, who will take over RB2 duties after Emari Demercado was ruled out on Wednesday.
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