The Arizona Cardinals waived running back Trey Benson with an injury designation. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that Benson cleared waivers and will head to injured reserve.
At first glance, it appears that Benson will lose another season to an injury. The former third-rounder from the 2024 draft hasn’t played since Week 4 of the 2025 season. He tore his left meniscus against the Seattle Seahawks and wasn’t activated despite returning to practice.
Benson’s left knee still hasn’t recovered.
Benson was facing an uphill battle to make the roster. The Cardinals signed Tyler Allegeier in free agency and used their top draft pick to select Jeremiyah Love. Veteran back James Conner restructured his contract to stay on the team.
His injury has opened the door for players further down on the roster such as Bam Knight and Corey Kiner to get more opportunities. Both Knight and Kiner have made the most of their preseason snaps and are charging towards a 53-man roster spot.
What the Trey Benson News Means for the Cardinals
GettyCardinals running back Trey Benson lands on injured reserve for the second straight season. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
With Trey Benson headed for injured reserve, it marks the second time in three years he’s missed a significant amount of time due to injury.
The Cardinals will begin the season with a rotation of Jeremiyah Love, Tyler Allgeier, and James Conner in their backfield. They’ll likely roster at least one of Bam Knight and Corey Kiner behind those three for depth and special teams purposes.
Love’s injury situation may also impact what the team does at the running back position. The latest update on the No. 3 overall pick from head coach Mike LaFleur is that he’s progressing well. However, he faces a tight window to be ready for their season opener against the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Cardinals can select up to eight players to return from injured reserve during the season. Only two of those spots can be used on players placed on injured reserve before submitting their initial 53-man rosters.
A player designated to return from injured reserve must sit out at least four games. They have a 21-day window to activate the player once he returns to practice.
The main question the Cardinals face is whether they want to commit one of those two spots to a player who has only played 17 games in two seasons. Especially since Love should be back and close to full strength well before Week 5.
Trey Benson Expected to Reach Injury Settlement With Cardinals
GettyTrey Benson’s career with the Cardinals may be coming to a close soon. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images)
Another avenue for Trey Benson to play would be negotiating an injury settlement and becoming a free agent. Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team reports that a settlement is expected to happen between the Cardinals and the third-year back.
How an injury settlement works is that a team will pay for the expected duration of the injury, but agree to part ways with the player. A player who receives a settlement cannot sign with his original team until three weeks after the agreed-upon length.
However, if the Cardinals still have plans to use Benson this year, it’s much more likely they’ll use one of their two designated-to-return spots on him.
Arizona Cardinals Get Trey Benson Update After Cut News