The Arizona Cardinals appear to have found their Kenyan Drake replacement, as they will sign ex-Steelers running back James Conner, per FOX NFL’s Jay Glazer. Conner played with the Steelers four seasons, accumulating 532 rushing attempts for 2,302 yards and 22 touchdowns, while catching 124 passes for 963 yards and four more touchdowns.
Conner’s best season was in 2018, when he totaled 1,470 yards and 13 touchdowns. He isn’t an explosive back, but showed well enough both on the ground and through the air to be considered a player with plenty of potential to continue playing at a high level. Unfortunately, injuries have slowed Conner down in a big way the last two seasons.
The Cardinals let Kenyan Drake walk and kept Chase Edmonds. Edmonds has shown good ability, but the team doesn’t see him as a lead back. With Conner’s injury history, maybe Edmonds sees more work than expected with Conner there, but the team is likely to draft a running back as well.
The addition of Conner is a good risk to take if he can stay healthy, as he is versatile. Edmonds is also versatile and the pair should be a good one for Kyler Murray’s safety valves.