Cardinals' James Conner gets trade update involving Giants, Bengals

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Cardinals' James Conner gets trade update involving Giants, Bengals originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Arizona Cardinals have made it pretty clear they're ready to move on from James Conner.

They reshaped their RB depth chart this offseason. First, they signed Tyler Allgeier from the Atlanta Falcons. Then, they drafted Jeremiyah Love out of Notre Dame.

Conner, who had a nasty injury last season and is on the wrong end of the running back aging curve, simply isn't going to get much, if any, opportunity going forward in the desert.

That makes him a logical trade candidate at some point.

In a new article on Thursday, ESPN's Dan Graziano writes that it wouldn't surprise him to see Conner traded by the 2026 NFL trade deadline, if not before.

"Conner has been a great signing for the Cardinals, posting consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons from 2023 to 2024," Graziano writes. "But he turned 31, is coming off a major season-ending injury and has just one year left on his contract. Conner accepted a pay cut this past spring, so it's possible he's in their plans and that someone such as Trey Benson is more likely to get traded to alleviate the logjam at running back. But it feels like one of the Cardinals' six RBs has to go, and a team looking for a reliable veteran back could make a move for Conner if he's having a hard time getting carries."

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Graziano goes on to mention the New York Giants and Cincinnati Bengals as two teams that could benefit from Conner.

"The Bengals and Giants jump to mind; they were looking for running back help this offseason but didn't bring in much," Graziano writes.

If Conner doesn't move before the season starts, there will also be ample opportunities for other openings to arise. Running backs get hurt often, and Conner could eventually prove crucial as a replacement for a team that right now wouldn't be able to be predicted.

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