3 realistic expectations for Cardinals' offense in 2024
By Brandon Ray
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2.) James Conner stays as true go-to RB in backfield
If there was one highlight area for the Cardinals last season, it was their running attack that was led by James Conner. In 13 games, Conner managed to rush for 1,040 yards and 7 touchdowns, averaging over 80 yards per game. In Conner’s absence, the Cardinals had Michael Carter, Emari Demercado and Keaontay Ingram combine for 507 yards on the ground. With Arizona not having a true starting quarterback for half of the season, the running game was their main focus. Before Murray made his return, the Cardinals averaged 127 yards per game on the ground.
In the NFL Draft, Ossenfort drafted Florida State running back Trey Benson who had back-to-back 900+ rushing yard seasons the last two seasons. Benson is a perfect complimentary player for this offense and can certainly take some pressure off of Conner. However, make no mistake about it, Conner should be leading the charge for the run game. He is going into a contract year and is coming off a career year. Conner is set to be even better than last season as long as he stays healthy.