Head coach Kliff Kingsbury recently praised Benjamin's progress, saying he "would've never expected him to come this far" based on the running back's limited production over the first two years of his career, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports. "Early on I didn't know if he could figure it out," Kingsbury said. "Each year he has just gotten progressively better. He's one of the hardest workers on the team now.
Urban adds that no player on the roster has been praised more this offseason than Benjamin, a 2020 seventh-round pick with 40 career touches for 160 yards, all of which came in 2021. Urban further suggests that the No. 2 running back job is Benjamin's to lose, with the top challengers being former Chief Darrel Williams and rookie sixth-round pick Keaontay Ingram. It's a situation to monitor this preseason, with the eventual winner of the backup role sitting one James Conner injury away from a significant workload.