TEMPE, Ariz. — It’s beginning to look like another week where the Cardinals will be riddled with injuries, with key position groups having many starters who did not practice on Wednesday.
We’ll start with some good news. Running back Trey Benson, who has been inactive since Week 4 while recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery, had his 21-day practice window opened. This means that he is eligible to participate in practice without counting toward the 53-man roster. On Wednesday, he was a limited participant, a good sign, but we will need to hold off until closer to the weekend before making any guesses on whether or not he’ll play on Sunday.
However, his status for Sunday may be in question due to the recent injury to Emari Demercado, who is listed as the No. 1 running back. The 26-year-old suffered a high ankle sprain last Sunday in the Cardinals’ loss to the 49ers. Demercado did not practice on Wednesday, but we can only expect that he will be inactive. Expect a tandem of either Benson (if active) and Bam Knight, or Knight and Michael Carter.
Marvin Harrison Jr. will, for the second straight week, be inactive after undergoing an appendectomy a little more than a week ago. This means that we will get to see an encore from Michael Wilson, who hauled in 15 targets for 185 yards last weekend.
For the third straight week, cornerback Will Johnson found himself not practicing on Wednesday, as he is still battling a knee/hip injury. Expect to see more action from rookie Denzel Burke, who is trying to make a name for himself in head coach Jonathan Gannon’s defense.
This injury report is beginning to look the same each week, which goes without saying that it is vital that this team stays healthy. The depth is slim in Arizona, and the team cannot sustain any more injuries like this. It will be interesting to see if any of the non-participants in today’s practice improve towards the end of the week, when we can then get a further grasp of what Sunday against Jacksonville will look like.