Trey Benson’s mysterious training camp absence has been solved

GLENDALE — Arizona Cardinals running back Trey Benson was noticeably absent from Sunday’s training camp practice.

And with head coach Mike LaFleur leaving him off his list of injuries ahead of practice, that left many to wonder what exactly was going on with the third-year running back, especially given his place as RB4 on the depth chart.

Turns out it was injury-related, according to LaFleur.

Trey Benson’s absence was due to a flare up in his knee, says Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur.

The team is planning to be cautious with him. pic.twitter.com/3hEcNZJosG

— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) August 3, 2026

“Just a little discomfort, just a little flare up in the left knee,” LaFleur said Monday. “It’s unfortunate because it was feeling so good and I really thought he was getting his legs underneath him. I thought he strung together some good days.

“It was good news today that he was feeling much better. Any time you’re coming back from an injury like him, he just wants to be out there. He can feel everything going up and then all of (a) sudden out of nowhere, it kind of just flared up on him a little bit.”

LaFleur adds the team will be cautious with Benson and considers him day to day.

The head coach “wouldn’t be surprised” if the running back didn’t play in the Hall of Fame game on Thursday night but doesn’t expect it to be a multi-week issue.

This could be a big preseason for Benson once he gets back to full strength, as he could very well be auditioning for other NFL franchises given the direction Arizona’s backfield is taking. RB-needy teams like the Green Bay Packers come to mind.

Benson is on the bubble to make the initial 53-man roster with Jeremiyah Love, Tyler Allgeier and James Conner ahead of him on the depth chart.

Bam Knight is RB5 but provides more versatility as a special teamer than Benson, making the veteran a prime option to stick around if Arizona decides to keep four backs.

Missing practices and potentially games isn’t going to help Benson’s case. The sooner he can get back on the field the better.

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