Arizona Cardinals running back Beanie Wells has battled
through nagging injuries all season but despite that he is
playing the best football of his career.

Wells has faced criticism on his toughness his whole
career but he has done a good job quieting those critics
this season while playing hurt.

Sunday’s game against the Steelers provided further proof
that Wells is willing to play through injuries after he
said his knee hurt in the first quarter before another hit
ultimately knocked him out of the game in the second
quarter.

Wells is a tough running back who is willing to play
through pain, but is he durable enough to be the number
one back carrying the load for an NFL team?

Probably not.

“Beanie Wells needs to run the ball 10-15 times a game
only because his body can’t handle more than that,”
Arizona Sports 620’s Doug Franz said on the Doug and Wolf
Show. “His body will not allow for him to be a workhorse.”

Doug and Wolf don’t think the Cardinals need to cut ties
with Wells in any sense, but it is becoming harder to
count on him on a weekly basis.

“It is so difficult to build a football team when a guy’s
body continues to break down, you have to be accountable
and dependable,” Ron Wolfley said. “It has nothing to do
with his toughness, I just don’t think that his body
allows him to stay healthy.”

When he is healthy, Wells is one of the top running backs
in the league, rushing for 423 yards at 4.6 yards a clip
and six touchdowns. He is on pace to set career highs in
all three categories as well.

But as a coach, how long can you stand not being able to
depend on your running back to stay healthy?

“I think the realization is either here, or it has to come
at the very next injury, that Beanie Wells does not have
an NFL productive body,” Wolfley said. “And if you haven’t
already come to the realization, you need to ask yourself
how much longer do you need to give him.”

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