Tyler Allgeier Camp Update — August 31: One of Three Backs Left Standing

The Cardinals kept three running backs, and Tyler Allgeier is one of them — Jeremiyah Love, Allgeier and Bam Knight, per Donnie Druin at Sports Illustrated. Getting to three took a week of subtraction. Trey Benson was waived Monday, six days before the deadline, after two injury-riddled seasons totaling 17 games, per Jason Owens at Yahoo Sports. Corey Kiner was traded to New England for a future seventh-round pick despite 182 preseason rushing yards, Adam Schefter first, per Bailey Leasure at Arizona Sports. Evan Hull was waived two days after carrying 16 times for 107 yards and two touchdowns in the finale, Tre Stewart was waived with him, and James Conner was placed on injured reserve with a designation to return, sidelining the veteran for at least the season's first four games, per Jess Root at Cards Wire. Druin had called Hull and Kiner two eye-opening finale performances; both were gone within two days. Cut-day rooms get built this way — the keeps say more than the cuts.

What the week did for Allgeier is clear out the veteran claim on touches: Conner is gone for at least four games, and the rest of the experienced room is off the roster entirely. It did not hand him a starting job. The room is Allgeier, Knight and a rookie who did not practice during Packers week, per Pankti Parmar at Heavy.com, and the beat reads the three-man decision as confidence that Love's high ankle sprain will be healed for Week One, per Druin — no reporter has said Love is out for the opener. Allgeier's own ledger stayed empty; he sat Friday's finale with the starters, per Druin, a second straight week without a charted touch. His résumé travels regardless: eight rushing touchdowns on 143 carries for Atlanta last season, our numbers — short-yardage work is the case he brings to whatever share exists.

Back in June we said the Allgeier bet was his job rather than his talent — the complement role, held by availability while teammates got hurt. The last episode told listeners to watch what cutdown did to a backfield living in the training room, Benson's spot in particular; Benson's spot resolved on day one of the window, and cutdown answered the rest by subtraction. One caveat stays open: waivers processed Monday afternoon and practice squads form after that, per Seth Cox at Revenge of the Birds, so a fourth back arriving would surprise no one. We'll check in again as the backfield picture firms up.

_Data via nflverse._