Cardinals training camp battles: Trey Benson vs. Michael Carter

Arizona Cardinals training camp is just about here, with players reporting at State Farm Stadium on July 23. Along with it come positional battles that’ll help shape the team come game time.

This time around, there’s no shortage of competition following an offseason of roster revamping and plenty of impactful roles up for grabs. As defensive coordinator Nick Rallis said last week, having to make those tough roster decisions is a good problem to have.

In honor of rookie Trey Benson inking his rookie contract on Thursday, let’s dive into his upcoming battle with veteran Michael Carter for RB2.

Cardinals training camp battles: Trey Benson vs. Michael Carter

With James Conner resuming his role as the team’s lead back heading into training camp, the attention turns squarely to his backup.

Entering the offseason, Carter appeared to have a hefty lead on the rest of the room that also includes Emari Demercado following 2.5 years in New York. Coming aboard as a midseason waiver claim addition, Carter quickly found himself backing up Conner in Arizona.

Across six games played (20% of the available offensive snaps), Carter racked up 149 yards on 22 carries. He got some run in the passing game, too, catching nine balls for 33 yards and a touchdown.

The shifty 5-foot-8 back fits the billing as a true change-of-pace option to the bullying Conner.

There is, however, an heir apparent residing in the running backs room in Benson.

Selected in the third round (No. 66 overall) of the 2024 NFL Draft this past April, Benson brings with him a bruising mentality and home-run-hitting capabilities.

The 6-foot-1, 211-pounder has racked up back-to-back 900-yard efforts across his final two seasons at Florida State to go along with 23 total touchdowns. He earned another 227 yards and a score on 20 receptions.

But it was the way he scored more than half of his touchdowns as a junior that had him shooting up draft boards.

Of his 15 total touchdowns, eight went at least 25 yards with quite a few going well beyond that.

A quick recap of Benson’s big-time touchdowns in 2023:

– 42-yard TD run (Week 1)
– 62-yard TD run (Week 5)
– 85-yard TD run (Week 5)
– 80-yard TD catch (Week 8)
– 55-yard TD run (Week 9)
– 38-yard TD run (Week 10)
– 36-yard TD (Week 12)
– 26-yard TD (Week 12)

He’s definitely got the vision to go the distance if he finds an opening.

For comparison, the Cardinals had seven touchdowns that went at least 25 yards last year. Four of those seven were scored by players — Rondale Moore (twice), Hollywood Brown, Joshua Dobbs — no longer on the roster.

As head coach Jonathan Gannon has said since he joined Arizona’s ranks, generating explosives is critical to the team’s success moving forward. Benson at the very least gives offensive coordinator Drew Petzing another avenue in helping accomplish that.

Where does Emari Demercado slot in?

Demercado flashed as an undrafted rookie last year, especially in pass protection. The running back averaged 4.9 yards per attempt on his way to 284 yards and two touchdowns on 58 rushes. He caught 21 balls for 119 yards.

Demercado should have a roster spot with good showing at training camp. He proved enough last year. But when it comes to the pecking order in the RBs room, both Benson and Carter have a leg up on 5-foot-9, 215-pounder.

Final verdict

The battle between Carter and Benson could be among the tightest on the roster given Carter’s experience and Benson’s potential.

Carter may end up being the better complementary piece to Conner to start the season, although Benson could erase any potential doubt with a strong training camp.

But if Conner has to miss any time this year — a normal occurrence for the physical back — all signs point to Benson getting the RB1 nod over Carter.

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