Mike LaFleur and Nathaniel Hackett aren’t wasting any time adding to their new Cardinals staff. According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, the team has hired Miami running backs coach Matt Merritt for the same role in Arizona.
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Merritt joined the Hurricanes staff ahead of the 2024 season and guided a rushing attack that saw Damien Martinez and Mark Fletcher Jr. combine for 19 touchdowns. He also got some production from eventual first-overall pick Cam Ward, who rushed for 204 yards and four touchdowns on 60 carries. Fletcher Jr. took his production to another level in 2025, finishing with 1,192 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. CharMar Brown added seven scores of his own.
Other than his stint at Miami, Merritt’s stops have included Ohio State, Tennessee, and USF. During his tenure at that latter school, he helped guide a rushing attack that averaged 182.8 yards per game during the 2023 campaign. Nay’Quan Wright rushed for 797 yards and eight touchdowns, while QB Byrum Brown joined Jayden Daniels as the nation’s only signal callers to throw for at least 3,000 yards while compiling 800-plus rushing yards.
In Arizona, Merritt’s running back corps should be relatively set. James Conner will be leading the depth chart following a lost 2025 campaign, and Trey Benson will return as the RB2 following a handful of respectable outings last year. The team also has Corey Kiner on their offseason roster, while the trio of Emari Demercado, Zonovan Knight, and Michael Carter are all impending free agents.
Elsewhere in Arizona, the Cardinals have requested an interview with Dan Williams for their QB coach job, per Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network. Williams has spent the past seven seasons in Kansas City, including the past five coaching Patrick Mahomes as the Chiefs assistant QBs coach.