Following a productive 2026 free agency from the Arizona Cardinals thus far, the team signed running back Tyler Allgeier to a two-year contract to join veteran James Conner and also rising talent, Trey Benson, which may lead to a possible trade in this year’s draft. After the team reworked Connor’s contract, there are now question marks about what this means regarding Benson’s future. The Cardinals hired head coach Mike LaFleur to lead this offense to a rebuild era, which looked good for Benson’s future, but it looks like the team has other ideas. With Conner and Allgeier in the same backfield, Benson is at risk of being phased out of this running back room.
Selected as a third-round pick, the former Oregon and Florida State product is coming off a meniscus season-ending injury. Benson has two years left in his rookie deal to capture magic in this run game, but that’s hard to do when you have competition. The running back had his chance to emerge as a leader for this group after Conner went down with an injury during the 2025 regular season, but he couldn’t take advantage.
Now, it will be interesting to see what the Cardinals do. The team has options on the table, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Cardinals look to trade Benson during the 2026 NFL Draft. Despite the injuries, Benson has the opportunity to turn his career around with these three teams.
Cardinals “Crowded” Backfield Could Lead to Trey Benson Trade
Possible Fits
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys signed several free agents, including trading for defensive pass-rusher Rashan Gary, but they need a running back to back up Javonte Williams. Second-year Jaydon Blue isn’t ready to take on that role at this stage in his career. With Benson coming in, the Cowboys could work both Blue and Benson as adequate backups to help Williams in situational scenarios.
Benson isn’t going to light up the field on day one, but it’s a chance for him to learn from Williams and find himself a role that fits into the Cowboys getting the run game back in the rhythm. If anyone likes “busting the budget,” it’s Jerry Jones. Benson is a perfect representation of who won’t, but that might be their definition, and he could be their answer to closing the gap and moving the chains.
Tennessee Titans
While it has been rumored that the Titans could cut Tony Pollard to create cap space, it hasn’t happened yet. Still, the Titans could look to explore adding a low-stakes running back in free agency. It’s not 100% that they would trade for one, but Benson joining quarterback Cam Ward makes sense as a depth piece. The Titans are in rebuild mode, and with Benson still getting acclimated in the league, this team might be the right fit for him to grow behind Pollard and Tyjae Spears.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Following the departure of running back Travis Etienne, the Jacksonville Jaguars re-signed DeeJay Dallas for depth. Despite trading Tank Bigsby last season, the plan was to give Bhayshul Tuten and LeQuint Allen key starting roles, but the team could be heading in a different direction. There’s still a chance that the Jaguars could sign another running back to help re-establish the ground, so Benson might fit in this overcrowded and win at least a backup job.