The Arizona Cardinals have officially ruled out running back Trey Benson for the remainder of the 2025 season, as head coach Jonathan Gannon opted not to activate the 23-year-old after his 21-day practice window expired.
Benson, 23, suffered a knee injury during the Cardinals' 23–20 loss at home against the Seattle Seahawks in September. The team placed Benson on injured reserve following the injury, meaning he was required to miss a minimum of four weeks.
The Cardinals opened Benson’s 21-day practice window on Nov. 19. However, the second-year running back was unable to be activated when the team had to decide on his status for the remainder of the season.
“[Benson] just hasn’t progressed to the point that he can go out there and play football right now,” Gannon said.
During his absence, the Cardinals have relied on a committee of running backs to take over Benson’s workload. Emari Demercado and Bam Knight have both seen significant playing time, along with Michael Carter, who is also getting his fair share of touches.
The team has been on and off when making depth moves at the position. The team signed former Minnesota Vikings running back Corey Kiner to their practice squad on Dec. 2. The undrafted free agent has never seen the field in a regular-season game. As of now, he is listed as the No. 4 running back on the depth chart.
Losing Benson hurts, as he has shown the ability to be an impact player alongside Demercado and Knight, but it is the wise decision to shut him down for the remainder of the year. After all, Arizona isn’t playing for anything substantial down the stretch.
The team officially opened up its first practice of the week on Wednesday, as they prepare for a road trip to the Lone Star State with a matchup against the Houston Texans (8–5) on Sunday.
Kickoff at 11:00 a.m. Mountain Time.