The Cowboys’ running back picture looked a lot better after Saturday’s showing against the Arizona Cardinals, but that doesn’t mean the front office should stop looking for help.
Malik Davis, Jaydon Blue, Israel Abanikanda and even Phil Mafah on his lone touch all flashed. Still, one strong preseason performance shouldn’t be enough to convince Dallas it’s settled at the position. If anything, the Cardinals may have opened a door by waiving Trey Benson.
Dallas should be interested. Signing him would stir up some noise, but that shouldn’t matter if the goal is to improve the roster. The Cowboys would need a little luck to get him off waivers, though it would be a surprise if they didn’t submit a claim.
The interest wouldn’t come out of nowhere, either. Before the 2024 draft, the Cowboys did a lot of work on the running back class after Tony Pollard left in free agency. Jerry Jones was openly drawn to Texas back Jonathon Brooks, but Benson was part of the conversation too.
Benson visited Dallas before the draft, and the Cardinals took him at No. 66, just seven picks before the Cowboys selected Cooper Beebe at No. 73.
Beebe has already become one of the league’s best young centers, so Dallas came out of that stretch in great shape. But with Jones so vocal about wanting a running back, it’s fair to wonder whether Benson would have been the pick if he had still been there.
The Cowboys know the player. Arizona’s decision to move on from him tracks with the injuries that have slowed his development.
A knee injury ended his 2025 season early, and he’s dealt with problems ever since. The Cardinals already signed Tyler Allgeier in free agency and used another premium pick on Notre Dame star Jeremiyah Love in April, while James Conner remains on the roster.
Benson has only played 17 games over two seasons, but when he’s been on the field, he’s been efficient. He has 92 carries for 451 yards, a 4.9 yards-per-carry average, and 3.41 yards after contact per attempt.
What makes him especially appealing for Dallas is the fit. Behind Javonte Williams, the Cowboys want speed, burst and some juice in space, and Benson brings all of that.
His 4.39 speed shows up once he gets to the second level. He can run through contact, but it’s his quick feet and cutting ability that make him hard to corral.
He can also work as a receiver out of the backfield. In that way, he offers the kind of explosiveness Jaydon Blue showed with his 4.38 40-yard dash before the 2025 draft, but Benson brings more power and edge to the table.
Blue won’t love the idea of Benson arriving after what he did Saturday, when he put together the best game of his life and looked like a legitimate piece of the running back rotation. But he still has to prove more.
He spent the summer trying to separate from Davis, Mafah and Abanikanda, and he never really did. Saturday helped, but it was only one step.
If anyone in the room has reason to be uneasy, it’s Davis, who has been the steadiest back in the battle for the No. 2 job.
Even so, the Cowboys shouldn’t let any of that get in the way. From a talent standpoint, Benson stands above every Dallas running back not named Javonte Williams.
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