Cardinals News
[the_ad id=”105842″]Arizona Cardinals running back Michael Carter is expected to see significant playing time Sunday against Tennessee after the team placed Trey Benson on injured reserve Wednesday.
Benson underwent arthroscopic surgery on his meniscus and will miss four to six weeks. The second-year back injured his knee late in Thursday’s loss to Seattle. He joins James Conner on the sideline after Conner suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 3 against San Francisco.
Carter played just four snaps in last Thursday’s game against the Seahawks after being inactive for Arizona’s first three games. Head coach Jonathan Gannon told reporters Wednesday that Carter, Emari Demercado, and Bam Knight will all play against the Titans but declined to name a starter.
Carter started the season finale last year when all of Arizona’s top running backs were unavailable. He rushed for 43 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries in that game against San Francisco. The 26-year-old appeared in three games total for the Cardinals in 2024, carrying 35 times for 131 yards and catching all 11 targets for 57 yards.
Demercado served as the primary backup to Benson in Thursday’s loss to Seattle. He finished with two carries for eight yards and caught a seven-yard touchdown pass with 28 seconds remaining to tie the game. The undrafted third-year back has averaged 6.2 yards per carry across his first two seasons with Arizona.
The New York Jets selected Carter in the fourth round of the 2021 draft out of North Carolina. He played two-plus seasons with the Jets before Arizona claimed him off waivers in November 2023. Carter has appeared in 48 career games with 326 carries for 1,359 yards and eight touchdowns.
Arizona hosts Tennessee at State Farm Stadium Sunday at 1:05 p.m. local time. The Cardinals are 2-2 after dropping their last two games. The Titans enter the game 0-4 and have lost by an average of 17.3 points per game.
Benson led the Cardinals with 160 rushing yards on 29 carries through four games this season. His absence leaves Arizona without its top two running backs for the foreseeable future.
[the_ad id=”108370″] [the_ad id=”104525″]“It’s been a lot. … You go from Pat Tillman (Scout Player of the Week) one week to starting the next.”
Cardinals RB Michael Carter on the roller coaster this year has been and what this week’s opportunity means to him ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/EvQx0K8Snu
— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) October 1, 2025
