Cardinals' Michael Carter: Positioned for significant role

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Carter is positioned alongside Emari Demercado as one of Arizona's top backfield options with Trey Benson (knee) on IR and recovering from arthroscopic surgery, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

Carter, who was signed to the active roster from the practice squad Monday, now has a significant backfield opportunity with Adam Schefter of ESPN reporting that Benson will miss 4-to-6 weeks and James Conner (foot) already out for the year. Head coach Jonathan Gannon said "we'll see how the week goes" when asked whether Carter or Demercado will start Sunday's matchup against the Titans, suggesting that reps remain up for grabs. Carter appeared in three regular-season games with the Cardinals in 2024, in which span he logged 35 carries for 131 yards (3.7 YPC) and one score, while securing all 11 of his targets for 57 yards. In theory, Carter projects more for early-down work while Demercado is more suited to a pass-catching role, but if either tailback demonstrates a hot hand he could secure the No. 1 gig until Benson returns.