Arizona used the No. 66 overall pick in the 2024 draft on Trey Benson, betting that the Florida State product's combination of size and burst would eventually make him a real problem for opposing defenses. Two years later, that bet is off the table. The Cardinals waived/injured Benson, officially closing the book on his time in the desert.
Cardinals also Waived/Injured running back Trey Benson.
The move was reported first by Adam Schefter, and the reaction from the league's plugged-in voices summed up the vibe: this one stings more than most roster cuts. Field Yates called Benson "a talented and promising player who just hasn't been able to stay on the field enough to carve out a role" — which is about as clean a eulogy for a stalled career as you'll get.
Tough for Trey Benson. A talented and promising player who just hasn’t been able to stay on the field enough to carve out a role.
Health was always the story with Benson. He landed on injured reserve last October after tearing up his knee in a Week 4 loss to Seattle and needing meniscus surgery, a setback that ended his 2025 season early. He was reportedly working his way back this summer, but a flare-up in that same left knee kept him out of practice reps during camp — reps he desperately needed as a bubble player fighting for a roster spot behind James Conner and a crowded backfield.
That timing made this one predictable in hindsight. A talented third-round back who can't get on the field in August is a hard player to keep around once the roster has to get trimmed to 53. Arizona simply couldn't wait any longer on a body that kept betraying him.
The Cardinals have waived RB Trey Benson.
For fantasy purposes, the news is bigger than it looks on paper — Benson's exit clears out whatever late-round dynasty appeal he still had and nudges the touch share in Arizona's backfield a little more toward the healthy bodies left standing. For Benson himself, it's a fresh start he'll need if he wants to prove the flashes from Florida State were real and not just a what-could-have-been story.