Arizona Cardinals: Is Running Back an Issue?

The 2013 Arizona Cardinals have issues with the running backs, but it’s to early to say that the position itself is an issue. The Cardinals have Rashard Mendenhall and Ryan Williams, who both are having post surgery issues, a pair of rookies, and Alfonso Smith, who is entering his second season.

So far, Stepfan Taylor has 26 attempts for 84 yards. He’s averaging 3.2 yards a carry with his longest rush being for 14 yards.

Alfonso Smith has 17 carries for 38 yards, averaging only 2.2 yards a carry. His longest rush was for 10 yards, but didn’t look to bad against the Cowboys.

Andre Ellington has touched the ball 10 times with only 24 rushing yards with his longest rush being for 24 yards. I’m hoping that he’s going to get some more reps with the first and second teams so we can see some more of him.

Rashard Mendenhall saw his first action as a Cardinal against the Cowboys and has seven carries for 32 yards, averaging 4.6 yards a carry. His longest rush is only for 11 yards, but is clearly the front runner for the starting position.

Ryan Williams still hasn’t seen any action due to his knee and I’m sure he’s getting frustrated with these set backs. If he can stay healthy, then he can start showing off his Barry Sanders type moves.

Andre Roberts and Patrick Peterson both have a rush a piece and both have six yards a piece. This is a sign that Bruce Arians also has gadget plays to mix things up.

Even though the Cardinals have three younger backs, backing up their two injured starting backs, I don’t believe the situation is as bad as some people think. As time passes and the offensive line starts to become a unit, the yards should pick up for everyone who is coming out of the back field.

So even though the Cardinals’ running backs situation isn’t the ideal situation, we all need to take some time before anyone can rightfully say, they have an issue.

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