One of the biggest needs for the Arizona Cardinals in free agency is running back, as the team could not find a true No. 1 RB in the 2025 season.
Granted, injuries played a huge role in the regression at the position, with James Conner, Trey Benson, and Bam Knight all hitting season-ending injured reserve. Nonetheless, it proved to be the area that held what could’ve been a productive offense, back, due to the inability to establish the ground game.
It seems as if the Cardinals are cleaning house at the position altogether, as the recent move indicates the backup to James Conner is hitting the open market.
Arizona opted to non-tender Emari Demercado, which means that the third-year out of TCU will be a free agent on Monday.
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In 2025, Demercado played in 13 of Arizona’s 17 games and accumulated 312 rushing yards on 44 attempts. While he didn’t find the endzone via the run, he did catch a pass out of the backfield that resulted in a touchdown.
In the three years he spent with the Cardinals, Demercado ran for 819 yards with three total rushing touchdowns; he was by no means impactful in his time in the desert.
Arizona holds the No. 3 overall pick in the NFL Draft, set to take place in April. With that selection, they have a prime opportunity to select Notre Dame running back and Heisman finalist, Jeremiyah Love.
A move like this would finally put the running back turmoil to rest, but with so many holes to fill on the roster, it is not as easy a decision as you’d think.
It will be interesting to see how the Cardinals address the need, but as you can see, we have no clue what general manager Monti Ossenfort has in mind.