Cardinals running back James Conner was not at practice Thursday, and he likely won't be on the field Sunday, either. After exiting Arizona's Week 5 loss to the Eagles with a rib injury, the veteran is expected to miss Week 6 against the Seahawks, according to Pro Football Network, if not additional games. That positions third-year reserve Eno Benjamin as the interim starter, with backup Darrel Williams also expected to be sidelined with a knee injury.
Conner emerged as a goal-line standout in 2021, his first year with the Cardinals, scoring a career-high 15 touchdowns on the ground. But the former Steelers starter has never played a full season, missing a combined 12 games between 2018-2020. He previously injured his ankle in Week 2 this year but remained active until leaving Sunday's loss to Philadelphia in the third quarter.
Benjamin, a 2020 seventh-round pick out of Arizona State, has been productive in a larger role this year. In five games, he's totaled 233 yards from scrimmage, averaging 4.5 yards per carry in relief of Conner and Williams. The latter, signed this offseason after four years with the Chiefs, had three carries, including on a fake punt, against the Eagles before suffering a knee injury.
Rookie sixth-rounder Keaontay Ingram is expected to be active for Sunday's game against Seattle as the emergency backup, Aaron Wilson reported Thursday. Arizona also figures to promote one of its newly signed practice squad backs for Week 6, just recently adding former Ravens fill-in Ty'Son Williams and ex-Eagles backup Corey Clement to the scout team.
