The Arizona Cardinals lost a massive contributor to their offense in Week 3.
Running back James Conner went down with an ankle injury, being carted off the field against the San Fransisco 49ers. Head coach Jonathan Gannon then confirmed that Conner will miss the remainder of the 2025 season as he undergoes surgery.
Arizona, 2-1 this season, will have to continue on without Conner. While Kyler Murray still has Trey McBride and Marvin Harrison Jr. as his top weapons in the passing game, the Cardinals' running back room will be getting a shake-up.
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Here's a look at Arizona's running back depth chart following the Conner injury.
MORE: How long will CeeDee Lamb be out for the Cowboys?
Cardinals RB depth chart
| Position | Player |
| 1 | James Conner (out) |
| 2 | Trey Benson |
| 3 | Emari Demercado |
| 4 | Bam Knight |
James Conner (out)
Conner was coming off consecutive 1,000-yard seasons for Arizona. While not the flashiest, he has remained one of the most consistent running backs in the NFL throughout his career; Conner's injury removes an aspect of reliability from Arizona's backfield.
The former Pittsburgh Steelers back joined the Cardinals in 2021, and he scored at least seven touchdowns on the ground in the three seasons after. Last year, Conner set career-highs with his 1,094 rushing yards and 5.0 yards per carry.
Conner's season-ending injury involved his right ankle. He was carted off the field after a 1-yard run in the third quarter of Sunday's game, and is now reportedly set to undergo ankle surgery that will end his 2025 campaign.
Trey Benson
The clear candidate for the starting job in Conner's absence is Trey Benson. The second-year back out of Florida State, who the Cardinals drafted in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft, has slowly factored more into the offense throughout his brief career thus far.
As a rookie in 2024, Benson posted 291 rushing yards and one touchdown as the second-fiddle to Conner. This season, Benson has looked even better through Arizona's first few games; he went for 69 rushing yards on eight carries in Week 1 against the New Orleans Saints.
Benson stepped in for Conner in Week 3, totaling 42 rushing yards and nine receiving yards in Arizona's loss. He should see the bulk of the rushing attempts for the Cardinals moving forward, averaging 6.0 yards per carry already this season.
Trey Benson goes 29 yards!
— NFL (@NFL) September 21, 2025
AZvsSF on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/mf8qW3fFmt
Benson may not fulfill the entirety of Conner's absence, but he should start and see the most carries for Arizona for the remainder of the season.
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Emari Demercado
Often utilized as a receiving back, Emari Demercado should also see an increased role without Conner. The third-year Cardinal as factored into his team's offense each season since joining Arizona in 2023.
Demercado's 2024 mark of 9.3 yards per carry over 24 attempts was impressive, but he's been at his best when Murray tosses him the rock in passing situations. He has yet to record a reception this season, but Demercado had a combined 37 catches between 2023 and 2024.
The expectation is that while Benson receives the largest rushing workload without Conner, Demercado will see even more third-down work as a pass-catching back. And if Benson misses any time as well, Demercado has proven he can be effective as a pure rusher as well.
Bam Knight
Conner's injury won't immediately affect any players outside of Benson and Demercado, but the Cardinals' final rostered running back, Zonovan "Bam" Knight, does still move up the depth chart.
Knight is with his third team in four seasons in the NFL. An NC State alum, the 24-year-old had a solid rookie year in 2022 after signing with the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent. Despite starting that season on the practice squad, Knight set a Jets record with 103 yards from scrimmage in his November debut with the team.
However, he's struggled to find that kind of success since. Knight spent time on the Detroit Lions' practice squad in 2023, including time on IR, then returned to the Jets' practice squad in 2024.
Knight made the Cardinals' 53-man roster in August as a depth option to Conner, Benson and Demercado. He also had a nice preseason, including a 67-yard score against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Bam Knight turns on the speed for a 67-yard TD!
— NFL (@NFL) August 24, 2025
Watch on NFL Network
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/cbv52C6pCV
Unless there are further injuries, it's unlikely for now that Knight sees much playing time still, but he will be a key insurance piece with Conner now done for the season. Expect Knight to be active alongside Benson and Demercado for the Cardinals, but with the former two seeing most snaps.