Cardinals' One-Word James Conner Update Raises Questions

Arizona Cardinals fans have been wondering where running back James Conner is at in his return to play.

So too has everybody else.

It's been well over a full calander year since Conner went down with a right foot injury (first described as an ankle before eventually corrected by then-coach Jonathan Gannon). Conner, after just three weeks, was ruled out for the season but managed to make a return in 2026's iteration of training camp.

Conner didn't participate in any team drills but did do individual portions through the beginning of camp. He ultimately wasn't spotted at practice in any capacity towards the end of preseason, and he hasn't featured in any sort of game during the 2026 season.

We're now seven games deep into the regular season and Conner has yet to be pulled from his injured reserve slot, which does have a designation to return.

Is Conner going to play at all this season?

"Potentially," said Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur when asked about Conner returning.

"That's all I could give you there."

This conflicts from what Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort told Arizona Sports 98.7 FM last week, where he said Conner is "really close" to a return.

What's going on with Conner?

The veteran running back restructured his contract to stay with the Cardinals this offseason after being labeled as a cut candidate. When Arizona signed Tyler Allgeier in free agency and drafted Jeremiyah Love with the third overall pick, many were curious to see how Conner would fit into the Cardinals' backfield.

There was hope he would be healthy and fully ready to make an impact in LaFleur's new offense, though that's been nowhere close to the case.

While Conner is a coveted locker room leader, Bam Knight's recent surge in play does make Conner expendable. As the league's trade deadline approaches, he's very much a candidate for a deal.

It's also possible the Cardinals would do right by the veteran running back and release him if that's what Conner desires. Teams looking to make a playoff push are constantly looking for players such as Conner for talent and leadership reasons.

The Cardinals, without Conner, have struggled in the run game. Arizona ranks in the bottom ten for team rushing yards per game and average yards per carry this season.

Arizona's been very silent of where Conner stands during his rehab, almost to concerning levels.