Insider Clarifies Cardinals RB Plans

All eyes are on the Arizona Cardinals and how they'll improve on the offensive side of the ball moving into 2025.

One potential changeup thrown by offensive coordinator Drew Petzing and head coach Jonathan Gannon could come in the backfield, where names such as James Conner and Trey Benson reside.

Conner carried the ball 236 times to Benson's 63 last season, establishing himself as a clear workhorse in the desert. He was rewarded with a two-year contract extension after hitting a career high in rushing yards (1,094).

Moving forward, there's questions of how the Cardinals would split the workload between Conner turning 30 in May and Benson having a full season under his belt.

After making an appearance at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine, NBC Sports' Matthew Berry offered some insight into what Arizona's backfield plans were:

"I personally asked Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon during his press conference about expectations for Trey Benson in year two and he said how he hopes Benson can light it up in year two and that the Cards would have 'two number one backs.' And that quote got a lot of run.

"And make no mistake, the Cards really like Benson and have high expectations for him. But talking privately with other Arizona sources, that quote may be overblown. James Conner is still the bell cow, still who they trust the most in close, and the kind of running back that NEEDS a lot of touches especially when you get to the fourth quarter. They love James Conner in Arizona. LOVE. I suspect James Conner will once again be very undervalued in fantasy drafts."

Gannon's full quotes on Benson from the Combine:

"Yeah, I think he had a really good year. I think he hasn't hit his ceiling. You guys have heard me say that multiple times. He's working on different parts of his game, but I think just keep doing what he's doing and keep improving in all parts of his game because he's not a one-trick pony.

"He can block in the run game. He can beat you on the first, second, and third levels. Run after the catch... I think that's elite from him. The mental part of the game, I think he can take strides, which we've talked about. In the physical part of the game, I think he can take strides. He's got a lot of good ball in him left so glad we have him. Obviously, he's a premier player for us, and I'm excited about moving forward.

"... Light it up. I really see us... if he takes a necessary jump in year one to year two, I think we have two starting backs. That's how I kind of view those guys. You see certain teams out there that have like two 'ones' I would say, I think we should have two ones this year."

We'll see how much the split tilts moving forward, though it's clear Conner is still very much the man with Benson ready to plug-in when needed.