Trey Benson

RB·

Arizona Cardinals·#33·6'0"·225 lb·2nd year·Florida State

Tier 1Round 3, pick 66 in 2024

Updated November 6, 2026

75.1

Model Score

Up from 74.3 last year

Trade value ·a 7th

Player comps Be the Cardinals GM →

Trey Benson is an RB for the Arizona Cardinals on a deal paying $1.5M a year through 2027, a $1.7M cap hit in 2026 (updated November 6, 2026).

Model Score by season

A career-high 75.1 this season, up from 74.3.

How good he is at what he is supposed to be doing, out of 100. Not a projection of what he will do next, and not a read on his contract. Median is about 70, and a 95 is rare. How it is built →

STM Take

A talented backup waiting for the lead role.

The case for

6'0"/216 with sub-4.4 speed is one of the better physical profiles among 2024 rookie backs. The Oregon torn ACL and the 1,756 FSU rushing yards show legitimate production when healthy.
Wks 1-4 2025 produced four consecutive 8+ PPR games, showing Conner's backup role has standalone value when the offense leans on him.

The worry

His 2025 game log effectively ends in Wk 4. Either injury or a coaching decision compressed his role for the rest of the season, and neither answer is good for 2026 projection.
Two straight tier 8 finishes means the model has not seen a meaningful trajectory yet. Conner's career durability is unusual; that handcuff value is less reliable than it looks.

What to watch: Whether the 2026 carry split shifts toward Benson with Conner at 31, or whether Arizona adds another back to compete for the post-Conner role.

Full take and bio

Two tier 8 finishes (#56 in 2024, #44 in 2025) confirm what Arizona's usage pattern shows: Benson is the long-term answer behind Conner, not the current one. The Wk 1-4 stretch (8.5, 8.4, 8.1, 10.4 PPR) was the entire 2025 sample of meaningful work; he disappeared from the game log after Wk 4 entirely. 2026 is when the Conner-to-Benson transition probably accelerates.

Benson came out of Florida State as Arizona's 3rd-round pick (66th overall) in 2024 after transferring from Oregon, where a torn ACL ended his sophomore season. He posted 1,756 combined rushing yards across his two FSU seasons (2022-2023). At 6'0" and 216 pounds with sub-4.4 speed, he is a vertical-burst back built for outside-zone schemes. He has been the clear backup behind James Conner for two seasons; his 2025 ranking improvement (#44 vs 2024's #56) came from increased early-season usage.

Comps

The players whose size, testing and production looked most like his at the same point in their careers. The percent is how close.

Fred Jackson ’0777%

Latavius Murray ’1472%

Jerome Ford ’2472%

Javorius Allen ’1770%

Rashaad Penny ’1866%

Plays like: Selvin Young, Charlie Garner, Correll Buckhalter. Built like: Ezekiel Elliott, Rashaad Penny, Kalen Ballage. Coming out: Roy Helu, Damien Williams, Lamar Miller.

Of his 20 closest coming out: 0 stars, 1 starter, 14 backups, 5 didn't stick.

Trey Benson Injury StatusIR

Trey Benson is listed on injured reserve (Knee), reported Aug 25, with a return date of Feb 15. Source: the official NFL injury report, refreshed daily.