Everybody said something to Trey Benson after his 52-yard run in New Orleans. It was inevitable, when a running back is caught from behind by a defensive lineman – in this case, Saints end Carl Granderson.
Such is the way Benson's longest NFL run (so far) came to a close.
"In my head I was like, 'It's about time,'" Benson said of breaking a long gain. "But (expletive) I usually take those to the crib. Next time I will for sure."
The scamper around right end was Benson's highlight of his best game thus far in the league. But beyond the 69 yards rushing on eight carries was Benson's usage. He might not quite be co-RB1, but he's definitely RB3rdDown.
Benson played 22 snaps – James Conner led the way with 43 snaps at running back – which tied his career-high. It was 33 percent of the snaps, also tying his career-high. But it was noteworthy he had nine of those snaps on non-penalized third downs according to TruMedia, or 41 percent of the third downs. He played just 5.8 percent of the third downs as a rookie last season.
Emari Demercado, the previous third-down back, did not play a snap on offense in New Orleans, the first time that has happened in his career when he has played.