James Conner

The No. 2 back behind Michael Carter with James Conner, Trey Benson and Emari Demercado all sidelined, Dallas mustered two touches in a 47-point Cardinals outburst. Playing on a one-year deal, Dallas seemed to only ever fall down the depth chart, but he was active all 17 games as a special teamer. The third unit is the key to his NFL future.

With James Conner, Trey Benson and Emari Demercado all on injured reserve, Carter made his first start since 2022. No one is going to call home about 59 yards on 21 touches, but Carter did his job for the Cardinals (absorb work) and DFS players (find the end zone) alike. Hanging around the fringes of Arizona's roster for a little over the past year, Carter turns 26 in May. He's going to have to earn his 53-man roster spot all over again this summer. He's probably on the outside looking in.

The Cardinals placed running back James Conner on injured reserve on Wednesday, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, sidelining him for Arizona’s regular season finale against the 49ers. Conner has been dealing with a “lingering right knee injury” this season, according to Cardinals team reporter Darren Urban. The two-time Pro Bowler left the game in Week 6 […]

The Cardinals placed Conner (knee) on injured reserve Wednesday, Darren Urban of the team's official site reports.

Conner entered Week 17 with a knee issue and didn't make it far before being shut down. He re-aggravated the injury after four carries and did not return. His season comes to a close with 236 carries for 1,094 yards and eight touchdowns. While it was another strong season for the veteran, he went from averaging 80 rushing yards per game in 2023 to 68 this year. On the other hand, Conner more than made up for the slight downturn in rushing production with 47 receptions for 414 yards and a touchdown through the air, dwarfing his 2023 receiving numbers. Late-season injury aside, Conner showed no signs of slowing in his age-29 season and even earned a two-year contract extension mid-season. He could cede more work to Trey Benson next year, but Conner is still firmly in the RB2 mix heading into 2025.