ARIZONA -- It doesn't look good for Arizona Cardinals RB Trey Benson to make his return to action in Week 12 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Benson was not officially activated from injured reserve this week, and though there's still time for that to change this weekend, the Cardinals' signing of Jermar Jefferson to the active roster and Sincere McCormick to the practice squad doesn't spell good news for that to happen.
"One day at a time. Get him out there today. We'll see how he does today," Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon told reporters on Friday.
It doesn't seem like the Cardinals are officially willing to rule Benson out just yet, though his prospects aren't shaping up to play against the Jaguars.
Additionally, Emari Demercado has been ruled out, leaving Bam Knight and Michael Carter as the top two options for Arizona against the league's second-ranked run defense in Jacksonville.
“He’s done a good job. He runs hard. He obviously can hit home runs. I know the one got taken off the board there but he has legit speed," Gannon said on Knight.
"He's tough. He runs it in between the tackles. He gets what he should get and then some. Looking forward to keeping him going.”
Benson was designated to return from injured reserve on Wednesday, opening up his 21-day practice window where he could be activated off IR at any point through the next three weeks.
There's no rush to get Benson back from a knee injury that's seen him miss six games to this point. If he's not activated by the end of his three-week window, he'll be forced back to injured reserve for the remainder of the year.
After starter James Conner went down for the season, the second-year Benson was expected to take over Arizona's backfield.
His 5.5 yards per carry on 29 attempts saw some explosive runs from the Florida State product, who settled into his role as an NFL player after a slow start to his career in 2024.
Arizona thus far has struggled to run the ball to similar success compared to recent years, but that's due to a combination of factors - the departure of OL coach Klayton Adams perhaps the biggest.
The Cardinals will reveal official game statuses such as out, questionable and doubtful later today. It will be interesting to see where Benson falls on that list.