The Arizona Cardinals lost eight of their first nine games this season, but last Sunday, they welcomed back starting quarterback Kyler Murray after he had suffered a torn ACL late last season.
Although he didn’t play a great game, he did manage to lead the Cardinals to a 25-23 victory over the Atlanta Falcons by leading a last-minute game-winning drive that ended with a field goal by Matt Prater.
All of a sudden, it seems like maybe Arizona has more to play for than winning the Caleb Williams sweepstakes.
To bolster their running back room, they reportedly signed Michael Carter, per Jordan Schultz.
Carter was a fourth-round draft pick in 2021, and as a rookie, he posted 639 rushing yards and four touchdowns in 14 games for the New York Jets.
This season, he was buried on the Jets’ depth chart beneath Breece Hall and Dalvin Cook, and he has therefore run for only 38 yards in nine contests.
While the Cardinals have been very weak on offense this season — they rank 25th in points and total yards — their running game hasn’t been too bad, as they’re 12th in rushing touchdowns and third in yards per rush.
They have gotten it done in the backfield by committee, as James Conner leads the team with 437 rushing yards, while Josh Dobbs, who filled in at quarterback while Murray was recovering, had 258 rushing yards and a team-high three rushing touchdowns.
Arizona has virtually no shot at making the playoffs, but perhaps they can build some momentum and goodwill leading into next season.