During the 2024 NFL season, there was very little doubt that James Conner was the bell-cow back for the Arizona Cardinals. Conner’s 236 carries were 178 more than the second-closest Cardinal, and that player was quarterback Kyler Murray. Meanwhile, Trey Benson, a 3rd round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, was limited to only 63 carries during his rookie campaign.
But plenty has changed over the last eight months out in the desert. Conner is another year older — he turned 30 years old in May — and Benson has another full offseason as a pro under his belt. Accordingly, nobody should expect such a drastic difference in touches and playing time to maintain during the 2025 season. Even James Conner and Trey Benson are approaching their partnership as a co-RB1 situation.
“We’re both RB1. That’s how we’re approaching and looking at it, truthfully,” Conner said, per Tanner Tortorella of Burn City Sports. “He’s gonna play a lot this year. He just comes to work and is just super talented. You don’t got to tell him too much. He’s just a guy that who loves football. And it’s just growing every single day.”
This is a development that has been on Trey Benson’s mind since the early days of summer, even though Conner is coming off a second-consecutive season with at least 1,000 yards on the ground.
“I feel like I’ll get more opportunities and help James out more,” Benson said on June 14, per Bob McManaman of Arizona Republic. “I feel like we can have two RB1’s on this team, and that’s my mindset this year is two RB1’s.”
But this development isn’t based on Benson’s lobbying. It’s based on the work he’s done to prove he’s ready for a bigger role. The Cardinals coaching staff has taken notice.
Trey Benson Shows Out During Cardinals Training Camp
Trey Benson talked the talk during June’s mandatory minicamp, and throughout training camp, he’s walked the walk, earning his way into this co-RB1 conversation with a bulkier body, consistent play and an expanding skillset.
“From an assignment standpoint, his eyes, his understanding of what to do and how to do it, it’s been really good,” offensive coordinator Drew Petzing said. “The limited reps you can manufacture in practice, I think he’s done a great job of stepping up and being physical.”
Specifically, head coach Jonathan Gannon has noticed an improvement in Benson’s performance in the passing game… an area where James Conner historically hasn’t been a huge factor.
“He can run routes and get open. He can catch it. You’ve gotta be in the right spot all the time,” Gannon commented. “There’s different things with check-downs and coverage structures and the pocket and where his eyes are. Pre-snap, what’s going on, where the quarterback needs him to get to.”
Most importantly, Trey Benson is no longer suffering a crisis of confidence, which he admitted plagued him throughout his rookie year.
“[My confidence is] through the roof right now and I have every reason to think like that because I put in the work this offseason,” Benson said. “Been working with James, been working with the offensive coordinator, the running backs coach and all the running back guys. They’ve been on my back and they know what we got to do this year. I’m very confident for sure.”
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