Behind Enemy Lines: Cardinals takes by expert Aarron Van Buren

Walk me through the Cardinals RB situation

Ramblin Fan: Chase Edmonds really seemed to click for the Cardinals as the feature running back, and Conner seemed to be the workhorse on short yardage and in the red zone. He is gone to the Dolphins now, and with him goes his versatility in running, receiving, and returning. Who will the Cardinals lean on to deliver so much in so many ways this year?

Raizing Zona:
It will most likely be the free-agent signing of Darrel Williams, who came over from Kansas City last season. But don’t be surprised to see more of 2020 7th-round pick Eno Benjamin. The RB2 spot is so unpredictable at this time that trying to give a prediction is just wishful thinking. The preseason will tell us a lot about who gets this job.

Rookie Keontay Ingram will most likely be a special teamer. I wish the Cardinals would have signed former Chargers running back Justin Jackson, a veteran back out of Northwestern who showed great flashes when filling in for Austin Ekeler last season.

Jackson didn’t get a contract offer at the conclusion of the workout, and the Cardinals running back room remains the way it is. I don’t think Edmonds’ departure will have that much of an impact. Edmonds had some clutch catches and moments but was ultimately unreliable when it came to steady production.

Summing it up

The Arizona Cardinals are trying to improve and certainly have invested in a new offensive weapon for their impetuous quarterback Kyler Murray by trading for Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown. It’s a difficult task to hold together a full 53-man roster, as a number of key free agents appear to have sought higher ground elsewhere for the Cardinals.

The LA Rams won the NFC West Division in 2021, as much from their own five out of six victories to close out the season, as the Cardinals lost four of their last five games. This year, the Rams would love to have a stronger determination of their own destiny, which means not relying upon a Cardinals late-season meltdown.

We’ve asked the questions that seemed relevant for now, and Aarron Van Buren was gracious enough to answer them all.  What questions did we miss asking? Let us know in the comment section, so we can follow up with Raizing Zona again.

Thank you to Aarron, and to Raising Zona, for giving us a bit more understanding of one of our most competitive NFC West Division rivals.