Trey Benson Carving Out Key Role For Cardinals

In a season full of surprises, the Arizona Cardinals have continued to serve as an incredible revelation. After finishing with a 4-13 record in back-to-back years, the Cardinals have not only surpassed that win total (6-4) already but have also done so on the backing of a four-game win streak. With the rest of the NFC West struggling to rise to the top, Arizona heads into their Week 11 bye with a very realistic chance of winning the division.

The highlight of the team’s ascension has come over the past two weeks; they have outscored their two opponents (Chicago Bears and New York Jets) by a whopping score of 60-15. While the star players of the team (Kyler Murray, James Conner) are well-known, blowout victories allow for less-established players to make an impression. This is where we get to Trey Benson.

Drafted in the third round out of Florida State this past April, Benson was just the second running back selected, and for good reason. Our own Keith Sanchez broke him down this past December:

“Trey Benson plays in a Florida State offense that runs both gap and zone concepts, both of which Benson has proven to be able to operate within at a high level. On zone runs, Benson shows to be patient enough to be able to allow for the blocking upfront to develop and he can read the edges of the offensive line to decide whether to continue to stretch the play out or when to cut the ball up vertically into the defense. Benson can make an explosive vertical cut into the defense to clear the first level of the defense. Once in the open field, Benson showcases plus-level burst and speed to pick up significant yardage quickly and be able to separate from defenders to rip off long runs. Benson is a smooth runner who effortlessly picks up yardage and outruns defenders' angles.

"On gap scheme runs, Benson also shows patience and the ability to wait for his blocks to develop in front of him. From the handoff, Benson has shown a good job to be able to handle defensive penetration, making lateral cuts and jump-cuts to make them miss. Once the hole is created for Benson, he shows to be able to quickly accelerate through the hole and pick up yardage. Benson runs with enough power to run through some arm tackles and bounce off defenders to continue to pick up yardage. On gap runs, Benson’s speed and burst is a key element to how effective he is and it appears that his acceleration can surprise defenders, catching them out of place, and he can capitalize on that by picking up significant yardage.”

Essentially, Benson possesses a rare blend of size and speed (4.39 40-yard dash), and, as Sanchez also noted, has the skill set to thrive in any type of offense. However, we did not get to see that much at the beginning of the season, as he logged just 31 carries over eight games. Plus, Benson was held to just 10 rushing yards on 11 carries in a Week 2 win against the Rams, and saw his role decline precipitously after that; after playing 30 snaps over the first two games over the season, he was limited to just 32 over the next six.

That being said, the past two weeks have been a much different story:

Plus, while Benson’s role has been enhanced by fourth-quarter opportunities with a decisive lead, the team has also trusted him in more significant situations as well. His first career touchdown in Week 9 came in a high-leverage spot.

Third and goal, up by a single point in the second quarter? That is anything but garbage time. All together, Benson is averaging 5.5 yards per carry over the past two weeks, and that same average remains true when going back to his carries since his Week 2 struggles. His Week 10 performance, meanwhile, featured him producing 18 extra rushing yards than expected, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.

On one end, Benson’s usage has been boosted by the team’s wide margin of victory, and it is unclear what his role will look like in closer matchups. At the same time, if he continues to impress, the Cardinals have no choice but to continue to give him opportunities. While Conner remains their most entrusted skill position player, Benson provides the team with an extra level of explosiveness that can only help the offense moving forward. After all, Arizona has proven to want to be a run-first offense (seventh in rushing play percentage), so both keeping Conner fresh while providing a different note to the rushing attack would naturally be beneficial.

Even if not, there is a reason the Cardinals made Benson the second running back off the draft board in April. Conner is 29 years old and in the final year of his contract, while Benson is just 21 years old and seemingly has a very bright future ahead of him. Regardless of his workload the rest of the way, he and Murray figure to spear a very explosive rushing offense in the foreseeable future.

The NFL’s fast pace provides franchises with the opportunity to make rapid turnarounds, and that is exactly what is taking place in Arizona. Expect Benson to be at the forefront of that moving forward.