The Arizona Cardinals have a talented group of running backs. One is underutilized, one has not been utilized because of an injury and the other has dealt with injuries, which has limited his effectiveness. Between Beanie Wells, Ryan Williams and LaRod Stephens-Howling, Arizona could have one of the best trio of backs in the league. the issue is that they are untested and the team has had a hard time committing to the running game consistently.
In SB Nation's latest positional rankings, Ryan Van Bibber ranks the Cardinals' group as being near the bottom of the league -- 29th.
The Cardinals should be higher on this list, but Beanie Wells' has yet to live up to the talent he has. Injuries have not helped that, and Wells is coming off knee surgery. Ryan Williams had knee surgery of his own recently, which will limit his role as a motivational tactic for Wells. With their top two running backs dealing with recent knee problems, it presents a significant concern for the Cardinals.
It is telling that it doesn't even mention Stephens-Howling. He barely gets carries, even though he shoudl touch the ball at least five times a game on offense. But that isn't his fault.
Even with the unproven status of Williams, the fact that Beanie is coming off his finest season and having done it one one leg most of the year, Arizona's running backs should be ranked higher. They are better than the group that the Broncos, Jets and Bengals have, who are the three teams ahead of Arizona.
Clearly, they have a lot to prove. The rankings are low, no question. But if they perform anywhere near to their potential, this will become one of the best tandems in the league.
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