While there hasn’t been an indication from the Arizona Cardinals, the team is likely to trade running back Trey Benson before the 2026 season. Per several sources, Benson has been named a possible trade candidate as the halfback room is shifting. It’s no surprise since the team selected Jeremiyah Love in the first round of this year’s draft, signed Tyler Allgeier in free agency and is now bringing back veteran James Conner; there isn’t any realistic path for Benson. The former third-round pick has struggled to turn into a capable backfield threat, suffering two straight years of injuries.
Trey Benson began the 2025 season as the second-string behind Conner. He suffered a meniscus injury that took him out for the rest of the year, despite Conner suffering an injury himself. The Cardinals could keep Benson on the roster since there will likely be no interested teams in the running back, especially for a player who barely played the last two seasons. He could stay on the team as RB4, but the focus will be on Love, Allgeier and Conner for the majority of the 2026 campaign.
Cardinals “Most Likely” to Trade Struggling Former Third Rounder Trey Benson
Arizona could dangle Benson on the trade block to see if any teams would at least bite for a late-round draft pick. Benson is still a reliable running back if he can stay healthy. He won’t be a prime Marshawn Lynch when he returns, but Benson needs a major fresh start. Arizona isn’t the exact place to do that anymore since they have locked down on three running backs.
Here are three teams that could roll the dice on Benson to at least compete for a backup job.
Possible Next Teams
Green Bay Packers
Trey Benson could make sense for the Green Bay Packers if they want competition for Marshawn Lloyd. The team re-signed Chris Brooks this offseason to provide insurance policy for veteran Josh Jacobs. There was speculation on Jacobs’ future due to his cap, but the team decided to keep Jacobs. The Packers won’t trade for Benson to start, but he could have a significant chance in Green Bay if he wants to beat out Lloyd for the RB3 spot and soon take over Brooks’ RB2 in the near future.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Meanwhile, the Jaguars completely overhauled their running back room, allowing Travis Etienne to leave in free agency for the Saints. Jacksonville decided to embrace the rebuild for the unit, as they knew Etienne was going to be unaffordable with the upcoming negotiations. It seemed like he won the job over Tank Bigsby, who was traded to Philadelphia last season, but that wasn’t the case. The Jaguars, instead, signed Chris Rodriguez Jr. to a budget-friendly two-year contract.
Rodriguez Jr. might have his “Rico Dowdle” moment, but the Jaguars could use Trey Benson as a rotational back to help LeQuint Allen Jr. and Bhayshul Tuten.
Kansas City Chiefs
Trey Benson to the Chiefs sounds realistic to help Kenneth Walker smooth in transition into this new offense. The team decided to move away from Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt due to both aging and injury concerns. The team drafted Emmett Johnson, but with Brashard Smith and Emari Demercado hanging around, this is one of the worst RB depths in the league. Benson won’t be any superhero, but Patrick Mahomes could use all of the help in the world for this offense, especially since he’s returning from his injury.