Michael Carter has officially ended his tenure with the Arizona Cardinals following the news of his release. The team now finds itself without a healthy man in the RB room, meaning starter Bam Knight will have to be especially careful.
The Cardinals’ depth chart shows that with Carter’s departure, Knight is currently the only available and healthy running back, as the other two options, Emari Demercado and Trey Benson. But Benson is injured and considered unlikely to return soon to help the team.
Carter had contributed a total of 97 rushing yards and a single touchdown so far during the 2025 season. He was clearly limited in playing time, and one of his better recent performances came against the Titans with 51 rushing yards.
When could Trey Benson return?
There is still no official return date for Benson, but an independent analysis by Dr. Jesse Morse suggests Benson could return between Weeks 10 and 13, which is a significant wait for the Cardinals.
“People have been asking about when he [Benson] will be potentially returning. He suffered a meniscal tear and required surgery. Normally these return in 4-6 weeks depending on the specifics (MCL?). I think realistically he can return from Week 10-13 assuming no setbacks,” Morse wrote on X (@drjessemorse).
Emari Demercado’s ankle injury
It is worth noting that Emari Demercado suffered an ankle injury during the game against the Colts. “It seems that Emari Demercado’s ankle injury occurred celebrating a tackle by Kitan Crawford in punt coverage last week. Didn’t see any plays where Demercado was showing discomfort before this incident,” reported Theo Mackie.
Demercado was unable to play in Week 7, as Coach Gannon had already ruled him out. It is unknown if he will be ready for Week 8, but his injury is not considered severe, at least not worse than or equal to what Benson is dealing with.
