The Cardinals opened running back Trey Benson‘s 21-day practice window on Nov. 19. Three weeks later, Benson isn’t ready to return from injured reserve. He’ll miss the rest of the season, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.
Benson hasn’t played since suffering a knee injury in a Week 4 loss to the Seahawks. The 2024 third-round pick from Florida State will wrap up his second season in the NFL with 160 rushing yards on 29 carries (5.5 YPC). He added 13 catches for another 64 yards.
The Cardinals lost Benson a week after James Conner went down with a season-ending foot injury. With Benson, Conner, and mobile quarterback Kyler Murray largely unavailable because of injuries, Arizona ranks 26th in the NFL in rushing. The Cardinals are one of seven teams averaging fewer than 100 yards per game on the ground. That’s among the many reasons they’re 3-10 and on track to pick near the top of the 2026 draft.
Zonovan Knight leads the team with 271 rushing yards, but he has averaged a meager 3.3 per attempt. Emari Demercado has posted a whopping 7.8 YPC on just 31 totes, though an ankle injury has held him out of three straight games.
While it’s unclear if Demercado will return against the Texans in Week 15, the Cardinals will go without left tackle Paris Johnson, per Howard Balzer of CardsWire. Johnson, one of the league’s top tackles, is dealing with a sprained MCL. His absence will make it even more difficult for Arizona to pull an upset over Houston and its No. 1-ranked defense.