ARIZONA – Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner just turned 29 and is in the final year of his contract in the desert.
There has been some speculation about Conner's future beyond 2024, which was fueled by the Cardinals drafting Florida State running back Trey Benson on the second day of the NFL Draft.
Benson, the second running back in the three-day tournament, boasts a similar profile to Conner in terms of size, power and speed. Arizona could find a long-term solution in the backfield beyond Conner, leading to some views in other news outlets that the former Pittsburgh Steelers rusher could be on the market. ing.
Pro Football Network recently put together a mock trade that would send Conner to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a sixth-round pick.
Should the Cowboys trade James Conner? 🤔 @DallasDRobinson He says the two-time Pro Bowler will help solve Dallas' running back problems.#DallasCowboys | #birdgang pic.twitter.com/cWTCWaXCQG
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) May 7, 2024
“Dallas was unable to select a running back in the draft and instead reunited with veteran Ezekiel Elliott on a one-year contract. While Elliott can no longer handle a full-time workload, the Cowboys' remaining RB options for Rico Doodle, Deuce, Vaughn, Royce Freeman, and others are unimpressive,” Dallas Robinson wrote.
“Conner is a potential 3-down back in 1A for Dallas, and the Cardinals may be willing to trade him after selecting Florida State running back Trey Benson in the third round. Conner is injured Elliott, Dowdle and others will cost the Cowboys about $4.5 million in 2024 since Arizona has already paid Conner's March enrollment bonus.
The trade package is a bit puzzling. If Conner is truly 1A (especially over Ezekiel Elliott despite his age), it's hard to imagine Arizona parting ways with just a sixth-rounder.
Arizona GM Monty Ossenfort will always listen to the call, but it's hard to imagine the Cardinals, who operate as a run-first offense, parting ways with Conner so quickly, even with Benson in the backfield.
