2025 Arizona Cardinals off season thread.

[oaken1]

He said he was an Emmitt Smith type player, not actually Emmitt Smith.

Smith was a top 20 pick and didn't have an incumbent starter to beat out and not a 3rd round pick with one. Hence the statistical difference.

Emmitt also had one of the greatest offensive lines in history for most of his career..he even said in an interview that Barry would have 2500 yards a season behind his guys

 

[BritCard]

The type of player who gets 900 yards and scores 11 TDs in his rookie season.

900 yards and 9 TD's is nothing if this is your barometer. Had James Conner broke his leg in game 1 Benson would have 900 and 11 easily.

Smith went for 3.5 YPA his rookie year. Give Benson 267 carries and he's getting 900 yards minimum.

Chase Brown, who is the definition of middling running back, had 990 last year. Tyrone Tracy had 839. Tyler Allgeier had 1035 as a rookie and is truly a nobody in RB rankings.

So yeah, if that's your yardstick for greatness I'm confident Benson gets that if he doesn't have an entrenched vet in front of him considering he went for 4.6 YPA on his 63 attempts.

 

[Ronin]

Upgrading line of scrimmage this draft not lost on Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals have made a concerted effort to upgrade both sides of the line of scrimmage through the NFL Draft

arizonasports.com

 

[Harry]

Emmitt Smith had 900+ yards and 11 TDs his rookie season.

Benson didn’t get the carries. Benson averaged 4.6 yards per carry. Smith got only 3.9.

 

[daves]

The responsibility is on the person arguing that Trey Benson could be as good as arguably the greatest running back of all time to provide some evidence that is the case.

Straw man. No one asserted that. @Harry said that he "has the ability to be a top starting RB when Conner is done, maybe sooner." Harry said he's an "Emmitt Smith type player although maybe not reaching those heights."

Regardless... my post didn't assert anything about Benson, I merely questioned your rebuttal of Harry's post by comparing Smith's rookie year stats when he was drafted to be a starting RB and wasn't challenged by anyone else on the roster, to Benson's stats working behind a guy who had better stats than Smith.

By the way, Smith achieved that whopping 59 yards per game by averaging 3.9 yards per carry, vs. Benson's 4.6 ypc (same as Conner's average). [Edit: Just saw that Harry and @BritCard posted the same.]

Maybe we should start with the assertion that Trey Benson could still become the best running back in his draft class. Bucky Irving started just three games for the Bucs last season and still managed to earn a lion's share of the carries over the course of the year.

[....]

Benson couldn't unseat Emari Demercado, my dude. Let's pump the brakes on the hype train.

Now THESE are valid rebuttals.

Guess we shall see!