Jonathan Gannon was blunt when asked what running back Trey Benson should do in his second season.

"Light it up," Gannon said.

The Cardinals re-signed James Conner to be their main running back, and rightfully so. Conner is coming off his career-best in rushing yards and stayed healthy. He also became the perfect mentor/example to Benson, who started to play more like the veteran as the season went on.

Benson was playing his best when he hurt his ankle late in the season. He finished with 291 yards on 63 carries, averaging 4.6 yards an attempt. Those are modest numbers. If Conner again stays healthy, he still figures to get the bulk of the work, but if Benson can pick up where he left off, the Cardinals backfield will provide excellent redundancy.

"If (Trey) takes the necessary jump from Year 1 to Year 2, I think we have two starting backs," Gannon said. "That's how I view those guys. You see certain teams out there with two '1s,' I would say, and I think we should have two '1s' next year."