The concept of Trey Benson being a co-RB1 with James Conner dates back to the Scouting combine when Jonathan Gannon first mentioned it. Now that the Cardinals have reached their first game week of the season -- their preseason opener is Aug. 9 against the Chiefs -- it has become clear.
"It's the situation we are in and we can't shy away from it," Conner said after Saturday's Red-White Practice at State Farm Stadium. "We've got to talk about it and understand what's expected. We want to be the best rushing team in football. We need that from (Benson). And the rest of the backs. We can't shy away from those conversations."
Conner is coming off his best NFL season and just signed an extension. Benson, the 2024 third-round pick, was looking more and more Conner-esque as a rookie before an ankle sprain derailed his final month.
Benson is a different player in Year 2 -- "My confidence is through the roof right now," he said -- and Conner noted that Benson is going to play a lot this season.
That doesn't mean Conner is going to be pushed aside. Indeed, it mostly underscores how much the Cardinals would like the running game be the identity of their offense. Benson is learning whatever he can from Conner on the daily.
"He's the blueprint," Benson said.
Conner has always been a guy who wants his workload, who feels he gets better with more touches. For him to be as effective, the Cardinals will need to generate more offense and more first downs for more plays.
But Conner is also mature enough to know that his years to get a Super Bowl are dwindling, and the Cardinals' chances to be successful can only be helped if Benson can be another version of a starter.
Why is Conner good with co-RB1? "Just with the talent that he has and what he is capable of doing," Conner said. "It's not always like that but in this situation it is."
-- Rookie cornerback Will Johnson continues to show up in practice. Saturday he read Zay Jones' route perfectly on the sideline and made an interception of a Kyler Murray throw. Murray later came up to him on the sideline to presumably give him props for the play.
It's still just practice. We haven't seen Johnson in a game, and the Cardinals were down their top two receivers on Saturday. But he just keeps making plays and seems headed toward the kind of immediate playing time everyone expected.
-- Backup center Jon Gaines II left practice halfway through and went to the locker room. Rookie Hayden Conner took over for the second-team center role at that point.
-- As expected, the top two wide receivers, Marvin Harrison Jr. (knee, illness) and Michael Wilson (head), did not practice on Saturday. The Cardinals are off Sunday and have only a walkthrough Monday, so there is extra recuperation time built in.
Safety Budda Baker, whose knee hit Wilson's head in Friday's practice to cause the concussion, was fine. Gannon said while he appreciated Wilson's effort in diving for the pass, he implores his players not to go to the ground during practice to avoid such potential injuries.
Harrison, meanwhile is "trending in a good direction." I am guessing it would not be a surprise to see him back on Tuesday.
-- Also sitting out were safety Joey Blount (illness), defensive lineman Justin Jones (undisclosed), running back James Conner (vet day) and defensive lineman Calais Campbell (vet day).
-- Gannon said the rehab of linebacker BJ Ojulari (knee) has been going "awesome" but he declined to say Ojulari would be ready for the regular season, saying he is approaching his situation one day at a time.
-- Attendance was 26,200 on Saturday.
-- The Cardinals officially introduced new radio color analyst A.Q. Shipley to the media on Saturday before practice. It was brought up that it was at the Red-White Practice in 2018 when Shipley suffered his torn ACL, wiping out his season. Shipley sarcastically appreciated that memory. But he also came back to it when he was talking about the honest style he will bring to the booth.
"I am who I am," Shipley said. "At the end of the day, I'm honest. I'm going to be fair. If somebody gets beat, I'm not going to make an excuse for them. That's not how this works.
"Since you brought it up, let's go back to 2018. I'm lying on the ground (at the Red-White) in front of all these fans, and what did (the team) do? They moved the drill up five yards. Nobody cares. They are on to the next. That's the way it works."
