Eno’s release means Arizona Cardinals will rely on an injury-prone Conner
By Sion Fawkes
We now know the Arizona Cardinals released running back Eno Benjamin earlier in the week, leaving them to rely on the oft-injured James Conner.
When the Arizona Cardinals released Eno Benjamin on Monday, they took a massive gamble. Now, they will rely on the oft-injured James Conner as the RB1 for the rest of the season. And not only has Conner been unable to find his way out of the trainer’s room this season; he has also seen his fair share of struggles.
How bad has conner been? Before his two touchdown performance against the Los Angeles Rams, Conner had just one rushing touchdown this season, 245 rushing yards, and 61 carries, good for a yards-per-carry of a so-so 4.0.
And while many may look fondly at the 4.0-yard mark, might I remind you that in five of his seven starts this season, Conner’s YPC hovered between 2.60 and 3.67. The Week 5 game against Philadelphia and the Week 9 game against Seattle serve as outliers, where he averaged 6.11 and 6.43 yards per carry, respectively. He also had not scored a single touchdown since Week 1.
Arizona Cardinals taking a huge gamble with Conner
To Conner’s defense, he is an incredible short-yardage back, which explains his 15 touchdowns from a season ago. He was also good at the sticks, snagging 56 first downs. But there is a reason Conner has never logged over 215 carries per season: He can barely stay out of the trainer’s room.
This is a back who never played a full season in his career. Since entering the league in 2017, Conner has missed at least two games per season because of injuries. Benjamin’s departure means Conner will likely pair with Keaontay Ingram, who has 28 yards on 14 carries this season.
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Darrel Williams remains on IR, so the Cardinals will likely turn to Corey Clement or Ty’Son Williams should they need to limit Conner’s touches. Overall, it was a reckless move from the Cardinals to part ways with Benjamin, considering Conner’s inability to stay out of the trainer’s room and the lack of a legitimate RB2 on the roster.
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