Following a productive 2026 Draft, the latest NFL trade rumors project Arizona Cardinals could be looking to move veteran RB James Conner before the season. Despite taking a pay cut earlier this offseason to stay in Arizona, Carter Bahns of CBS still believes the Cardinals are moving the veteran. Selected as a third-round pick, the former Pittsburgh product would be finding his third NFL home if released after training camp. The RB took a lesser deal, and it makes it easier for the team to trade him if that’s the route they’re willing to take.
Unfortunately, he’s coming off a season-ending ankle injury and is now entering the season with tons of competition. Trey Benson is also another name to watch the Cardinals could move, but instead, a release is likely. While Benson handled the workload last season, it wasn’t sustainable enough for an offense that rebuilt it’s entire RB unit. The team selected Jeremiyah Love with the No. 3 pick while signing Tyler Allgeier in free agency.
Expect these two to share the most of the snaps on the field. It leaves both Conner and Benson in the dust waiting for an opportunity, so yes, it’d be best to move on.
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Go Hard or Go Home
This upcoming training camp presents a perfect opportunity for Conner to showcase he’s still a valuable running back in the league. However, how many snaps will he receive when he’s dead bottom of the depth chart? That’s the challenging part for the Cardinals before the season. If they expect to get anything for the veteran, they might as well get ready to release him instead.
Here are three teams who could be waiting for the opportunity to sign him once he becomes available.
Potential Fits
Dallas Cowboys
Despite extending Javonte Williams to a long-term deal, there’s room for improvement in the RB depth chart. The Dallas Cowboys rolled the dice on Williams and veteran Miles Sanders last year. While Sanders has been a complete disappointment, they have three options in Jaydon Blue, Malik Davis and Phil Mafah. Are any of these RB’s potential backups? You can argue that Blue has the highest potential to be just that, but with him entering his second-year, it’d be safe to add a low-stakes veteran.
This would allow Dallas to put Davis and Mafah on the back burner for now and see what someone like Conner can do. It won’t mean he’s the sole backup, but he will need to battle for it against Blue.
Baltimore Ravens
Meanwhile, the Baltimore Ravens surprisingly didn’t bring back Keaton Mitchell, which was shocking to the RB himself. While they have ferocious options in Derrick Henry and Justice Hill, they could still use another downhill runner for this offense. Hill is more of a screen-play situational RB and Conner could handle the snaps when Henry can’t.
Henry and the Cardinals RB could form one of the most dangerous 1-2 punch unit. Both aren’t in their prime anymore, but with the Ravens looking to win a Super Bowl sooner rather than later, they have enough experience to win it all.
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are expected to cut Roschon Johnson at least after this year’s training camp. This leaves veteran D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai, who broke out last year. With Swift rumored in several trade projections, it’s safe to say that this is Monangai’s team. No one should anticipate Swift to be a Bear beyond the 2026 season.
Monangai would still need backup. This is where Conner can step in and help elevate the ground game and be a mentor for a young offense. Chicago was closer to the Super Bowl than they think, and the Cardinals RB could be the best stepping stone towards that direction.
