Nobody ever knows a team’s true plans, but for the Green Bay Packers, it was pretty clear they wanted to add a running back in the 2026 NFL Draft. The team had envisioned a backfield duo of Josh Jacobs and MarShawn Lloyd after selecting the latter in the third round in 2024. But Lloyd hasn’t lived up to his end of the bargain, playing in just one game over his first two seasons.
This led general manager Brian Gutekunst to declare that the Packers would “certainly add competition” to the running back room during the NFL’s Owner’s Meetings in March. But when the draft concluded, UDFA Jaden Nixon was the only addition. With Lloyd unable to stay healthy during his NFL career, trusting him to magically stay on the field seems like a bad idea. But they could be bailed out by the Arizona Cardinals.
The Cardinals currently have a logjam at running back with free agent pickup Tyler Allgeier and No. 3 overall pick Jeremiyah Love joining James Conner in the backfield. While Trey Benson is a fellow third-round pick from the 2024 draft, the significant investment into the backfield could have him as the odd man out and make him a worthy trade target for the Packers in the coming weeks.
Packers Should Pounce on Trey Benson Trade Opportunity
Benson’s path to making the roster in Arizona has been made difficult by the Cardinals’ moves this offseason. Before using a premium draft pick on Love, Arizona restructured Conner’s contract to a one-year, $3 million deal before agreeing to a two-year, $12.25 million contract with Allgeier in free agency that includes $8 million in guarantees.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter hinted that Allgeier may be upset with the moves as he looked to have an increased role over the one he left with the Atlanta Falcons, but the Cardinals would have to eat $5.2 million in dead money in a trade after June 1, according to Over The Cap. The Cardinals could open more opportunities if they release Conner at the end of training camp, but Benson could be the more logical target for the Packers even if Conner is dumped by the start of the regular season.
Like Lloyd, Benson has had a rough acclimation to the NFL. While he’s managed 451 yards and a touchdown on 92 carries (4.9 yards per carry) and caught 19 passes for 123 scoreless yards in his first two seasons, he’s also had issues staying on the field. An ankle sprain caused him to miss the final three games late in his rookie season, and a meniscus tear ended his 2025 campaign last October, limiting him to just four games on the year.
Still, Benson has been more productive than Lloyd at this point in his career. He also showed explosiveness during his college days, logging 1,918 yards and 24 touchdowns on the ground and catching 33 passes for 371 yards and a touchdown over one season at Oregon and two seasons at Florida State, potentially giving the Packers a strong complement to Jacobs.
It’s also worth noting that new Packers defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon was the Cardinals’ head coach when Benson was drafted. While his main focus is on the defensive side of the ball, he clearly saw something in Benson that convinced him to invest a third-round pick into him and could pound the table to bring him to Green Bay.
This would be a big win for the Packers’ running back situation. Green Bay could hold onto Lloyd to see if he can stay healthy and be productive during training camp. If they trade for Benson, which may only cost them a Day 3 pick, he could try to push Lloyd in that regard and be an interesting fallback plan if he can’t come away with the job.
With Matt LaFleur’s brother, Mike, now in charge of the Cardinals, it could also be a brotherly favor to take a back he clearly doesn’t want off his hands and could give the Packers a mulligan after passing on a potential competitor for Lloyd during the draft.
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