Busy start for Conner?

Cardinals beat writer Bob McManaman expects the team to “squeeze even more” out of James Conner early next season. Conner signed a new contract this offseason, and Arizona will be without DeAndre Hopkins for the first 6 games. “We’ve got to be better at it,” HC Kliff Kingsbury said. “We didn’t run the ball great late last year when we needed to and when you look at those teams that made a run, they were able to still sustain the run, especially when you lose a top player like that [Hopkins]. So, we’ve got to be able to establish that early.” After losing Chase Edmonds in free agency, Conner’s current backfield competition includes Eno Benjamin and rookie Keaontay Ingram.