Patrick Mahomes is aiming for a Week 1 return against the Denver Broncos on September 14, reiterating his goal to start the season on time. While acknowledging the decision is not solely his, he intends to give doctors and coaches every opportunity to clear him for the game. The Chiefs experienced a significant collapse in one-score games in the 2025 season, finishing 1-9 after a Super Bowl appearance the prior year
The Arizona Cardinals were a mess this past season concerning the running back room. Both starter James Conner and his primary backup, Trey Benson, became injured early in the season. What occurred next was that their RB3, Emari Demercado , was forced into the lineup as the new starting running back. His backups then became guys who were lingering on somebody’s practice squad and were suddenly needed to take significant snaps. RELATED: SUDDENLY, THE CARDINALS HAVE A RUNNING BACK PROBLEM The result? Of course, it was a mess. Part of the reason is that the offensive line was ranked #26. No team can be successful with an established run game without a very good line to open holes. With his 4.39 speed, Benson was drafted to complement the bruising style of starting RB Conner. In Week 3, Conner went down when he suffered a foot injury, to which Benson stepped in as next man up. However, in the following game against the Seattle Seahawks , Benson was also lost for the season with a meniscus injury. Benson was originally ruled out for 4-6 weeks after undergoing arthroscopic surgery. Instead of taking over the starting RB role for Arizona , Benson joined Conner on IR. From this point on, Benson’s issues with his injury and rehab have been a mystery. What is going on with him? Where does he stand with his injury status? Is his goal to be ready for training camp? Week 1? This year? Benson had his opportunity to become an NFL starting running back after Conner was injured and then lost for the season. He had a great practice week, started the game, and then went down in the Thursday Night Football matchup after just eight carries and 37 snaps. It wasn’t known right off if the injury needed attention, but the next morning, Benson woke up at 5:00 a.m. with a swollen knee. He called the trainer, who then ordered an MRI. His 21-day window opened for him to return in early December. During this time period, the load was being taken care of by Demercado, Bam Knight , Michael Carter, and Corey Kiner . Knight also ended up on IR with an ankle issue. Kiner was signed off the practice squad of the Minnesota Vikings , while Carter had been sitting on the Cardinals’ practice squad. But Benson rushed his rehab. When Conner was announced to be out for the remainder of the season, Benson saw this as his chance to show what he could do at the NFL level after being a stud running back earlier at Florida State. Benson wanted to return, and he didn’t want to waste any time. When his window opened, Benson still wasn’t ready to practice, much less play a live football game. What was not revealed was that Benson had a setback during his rehab, and he didn’t divulge it. When his window opened, and he attempted to practice, the coaches noticed something was wrong. After an examination, they determined that the last thing he needed to be doing was playing football. The end result was that Benson was shut down for the remainder of 2025. Last year’s head coach, Jonathan Gannon, then announced: “We will not activate Trey Benson. (He) just hasn’t progressed to the point that he can go out there and play football right now.” Benson was asked about his rehab and the setback. He told Donnie Druin of Sports Illustrated : “I was feeling good. My window got open, I was feeling good — then boom. I think I was going a little too hard, and then I kind of had a setback. But I put that on me, though.” This meant he had to continue rehab during the offseason instead of coming off his rehabilitation sessions. With the various OTAs and minicamps, Benson was still not participating in regular drills. The Arizona coaching staff was continuing to manage his workload as he worked his way back to full strength. Instead of going through team drills, he was seen working with trainers off to the side. “I put it on me. I think I was going a little bit too hard, and I kind of set myself back. I just had a sense of urgency to get back.” Arthroscopic surgery to repair his m
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The Arizona Cardinals are preparing to step into the strength of the NFC West Division and attempt to upset a lot of fans and stable franchises. The Cardinals will have to learn a new offense and become the Los Angeles Rams 2.0 and mirror the San Francisco 49ers . How much this Cardinals ’ offense will improve will come out of training camp. There have been plenty of high-level signings and improvements to the roster for this year. RELATED: 3 TAKES ON THE CARDINALS SCHEDULE The team instantly got some juice from the hire of Mike LaFleur away from the Rams’ offensive unit, which ended up ranked #1 on offense in the league in 2025. LaFleur now gets a chance at topping those mentors and carving out his own legacy. Last year, in the first matchup of their two-game series, Seattle dominated the Cardinals at State Farm Stadium and built a two-touchdown lead. The offense woke up and scored on its final two possessions. An 11-play drive that took just 3:43 of game clock resulted in a 16-yard touchdown pass to WR Marv Harrison from Kyler Murray with 5:50 remaining. The Seahawks then missed a field goal as Arizona got the ball back with 3:16 left in the game. A 12-play drive then saw a short seven-yard pass from Murray to RB Emari Demercado , and suddenly the game was tied 20-20 with just 28 ticks left in the game. The TV announcers began a dialogue regarding the rules of overtime as Cardinals’ kicker Chad Ryland kicked it short, which gave Seattle the ball at their own 40-yard line. An incomplete pass only took off five seconds. Seattle receiver Jaxson Smith-Njigba beat Max Melton for 22 yards to the Arizona 38. A four-yard run set up a 52-yard field goal attempt, which was converted for the win. Should the Cardinals have won the game? That is unknown, but they should have at least had an opportunity to win the game in overtime. One missed assignment and a soft defense allowed Seattle to win uncontested, and then helped them get the Number 1 seed on their way to a Super Bowl win. A comeback win would have been a huge moment in last year’s schedule. Were the Seahawks a better team? Absolutely. But for one moment, the Cardinals offense was hot and had the momentum going into an extra period of play. Instead, the team became 2-2-0 instead of 3-1-0. This game will feature Notre Dame rookie running backs in Jeremiyah Love (Arizona) and Jadarian Price (Seattle), both taken in Round 1 of this year’s NFL draft. Early in the year, against an excellent team, will tell everyone exactly what type of roster the Cardinals actually have this year. The Cardinals began 2-0-0 in 2025. They then traveled to meet division foe, San Fran. Harrison dropped a sure TD pass, which would have won the game. A safety with 3:15 remaining gave Arizona a 15-13 lead, plus the ball. A nine-yard run by Murray, followed by five yards from Trey Benson and a one-yard gain by Murray. Third-and-nine. Murray hit Zay Jones on a leaping reception just past the sticks. As Jones was coming down, he mishandled the grip, which dislodged the football once he landed. A completion would have ended the game. The end result with 1:54 left was a punt instead of three consecutive kneel-downs. The 49ers started at their own 20-yard line and went bip, bip, bip, field goal to win. A victory would have started the year 3-0-0. Instead, he began a bad habit of leading seven games late in the fourth quarter only to lose. The Cardinals want redemption for this loss. They will have that opportunity in the third game on the road, just like last season. The Rams are a really good team, and the Cardinals will need an almost perfect outing to stay close on the scoreboard, much less get a win. But it’s the first contest for new head coach Mike LaFleur against this old team. The typical master vs. apprentice battle. Los Angeles had the league’s #1-ranked offensive group for a reason, and LaFleur was just a portion of that success. For better or worse, folks always remember their first tim
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Kansas City Chiefs running back Brashard Smith is currently listed as No. 2 on the RB depth chart for the Chiefs behind new starter Kenneth Walker III, but the 23-year-old has fallen all the way to No. 74 in RotoBaller's dynasty RB rankings despite Kareem Hunt and Isiah Pacheco both departing in free agency in the offseason. In addition to Walker, the Chiefs signed Emarci Demercado in free agency and selected Emmett Johnson in the fifth round of this year's draft. Smith, who was a receiver in college at SMU, is elusive and can obviously catch the ball out of the backfied, but at just 5-foot-10 and 196 pounds, he lacks the size to challenge for a true workhorse RB1 role in the NFL, and he could be destined to see most of his snaps on special teams in KC if Johnson emerges as the team's best change-of-pace back behind Walker. In his rookie campaign in 2025 after the Chiefs took him in the seventh round, Smith saw 44 carries for 151 yards (3.4 yards per carry) and no touchdowns, although he added 25 catches for 172 yards and one touchdown through the air in 17 games (one start). Smith has PPR upside, but his dynasty stock has taken a hit due to the additions of Walker, Demercado, and Johnson
Demercado and the Chiefs have agreed to terms of a one-year contract, NFL reporter Jordan Schultz reports. Kansas City kicked off free agency by inking Super Bowl LX MVP and former Seahawk Kenneth Walker to lead the Chiefs backfield, and the addition of Demercado continues to the overhaul at the position. Demercado has racked up 126 carries for 819 yards (6.5 YPC) and three touchdowns and hauled in 50 of 70 targets for 324 yards and one more TD in 40 career regular-season games across three campaigns. He'll be in the mix for touches along with Brashard Smith behind Walker in 2026
The Cardinals will not tender an offer to restricted free agent Demercado prior to the start of the new league year next Wednesday, NFL reporter Jordan Schultz reports. Arizona seemingly doesn't deem Demercado worth the value of the low RFA tender at $3.52 million. Demercado appeared in 13 regular-season games last season, rushing 44 times for 312 scoreless yards. He added 13 catches for 101 yards and one touchdown on 20 targets in the passing game. Demercado could still be brought back at a lower cost, but he'll be free to test the open market
