James Conner Camp Update — August 16: Still No Team Reps While the Rookie Works
2026 NFL Season · Monday, Aug 17
James Conner still has not taken an eleven-on-eleven rep in Cardinals camp, and he had no touches in the preseason win over the Raiders. The June worry was never the player. It was the job, and the job keeps moving away from him.
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James Conner has still not practiced in 11-on-11 work. That was the status as of August eleventh, per Darren Urban at the Cardinals' team website, and Tyler Drake at Arizona Sports reported late this week that Conner's timeline for full team activities remains unclear. When Arizona beat the Raiders 27 to 14 on Thursday night, James Conner did not appear in the game charting at all. No carries, no catches, no reported touches in either the Associated Press or AZCentral accounts.
The June preview said the player could probably still play. Our read of established backs coming off a lost season put a healthy James Conner in range of useful production, and he was a legitimate starting back as recently as 14 months ago. But we said the job was the real question: a rehabbing 31-year-old, coming off the foot injury that ended his season after three games, sitting behind a rookie the franchise drafted third overall to lead the room. We said to watch the foot first, then the rookie's workload, then the trade wire.
The foot still has not said yes. And while Conner waits, Jeremiyah Love is collecting the evidence: first-team snaps to open each of the first three drives in the August ninth practice, per Theo Mackie at AZCentral, then 11 carries in his preseason debut Thursday, per the Associated Press. Every week Conner spends on the side field, the room reorganizes itself a little more without him. Tyler Allgeier is there too, grinding out carries. Nothing surfaced on the trade front this window.
Does the June read hold? CONFIRMED — we said the situation would beat the recovery story unless the foot cleared early and fully, and midway through August the foot has not cleared at all.
The checkable items for next week are simple: whether James Conner gets into team drills before the Dallas game on August 20-second, and whether any reporting puts a date on his return to full work. Until one of those moves, this is a rehab log, not a competition. We'll check next Sunday.
_Data via nflverse._
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