James Conner Injury Update: Cardinals Coach Confirms Veteran RB Will Miss Rest of Season

On Monday, Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon confirmed the team's worst fears and announced that running back James Conner will miss the rest of the season due to an ankle injury.

Conner suffered an ugly lower leg injury on Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers, and had to be carted off the field with his right ankle immobilized. The team believed he was done for the season and Gannon has now confirmed it. Gannon says the 30-year-old will undergo surgery and miss the remainder of the 2025 campaign.

Arizona signed Conner to a two-year, $19 million contract extension in the middle of last season. His deal only carries a $2.25 million dead cap hit for 2026, so there's a chance he's played his last down in Arizona.

Cardinals Running Back Depth Chart After Conner Injury

In three games this season, Conner had 95 yards and one touchdown on 32 carries, adding 38 yards and a touchdown on eight receptions. He was in his fifth season with the Cardinals and was coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, the first two of his NFL career.

With Conner done for the season, second-year backup Trey Benson is likely to see the most snaps at running back for the Cardinals. On Sunday, after Conner's injury, Benson was on the field for 87% of the team's snaps. He finished the game with 42 yards on 10 carries, with three receptions for nine yards.

Benson was a third-round pick (No. 66) in the 2024 NFL draft out of Florida State and played in 13 games as a rookie. In his 16-game NFL career, Benson has 416 yards and a touchdown on 84 carries (5.0 yards per carry), plus 104 yards on 14 receptions.

In two years with the Seminoles, Benson was a two-time second-team All-ACC selection and averaged 6.1 yards per carry during his college career.

After Benson, 26-year-old Emari Demercado and 24-year-old Bam Knight fill out the depth chart. It's likely they'll sign another back for depth.