Right now there is no officially locked‑in answer on who will be the starting running back for the Arizona Cardinals going into 2026, but a few clear favorites and scenarios are emerging based on late‑2025 reporting and depth‑chart notes.

Current depth chart picture

  • Late in the 2025 season, injuries wiped out James Conner, Trey Benson, and Bam Knight, forcing Arizona into a committee with Michael Carter, Emari Demercado, and others.
  • The official depth chart around that time listed Michael Carter and Emari Demercado as the top two backs, with Carter often functioning as the primary early‑down option.
  • In at least one stretch after injuries, Carter handled about 80% of the snaps in a game and was described as the likely lead back while Knight and others were sidelined.

Short‑term answer (early 2026)

If the Cardinals did nothing major this offseason:

  • Michael Carter would be the most likely de facto starter on early downs, simply because he has already been used that way when injuries hit.
  • Emari Demercado would remain heavily involved, especially on passing downs, and there are mentions of him stepping in as a starter during previous injury waves.

So in a pure “who starts right now?” sense, Carter projects as the frontrunner, with Demercado close behind in a committee.

Draft and future scenarios

However, the bigger story is that the Cardinals clearly view running back as a position that needs a serious upgrade:

  • Multiple reports note that Arizona struggled with an “ineffective committee” after Conner’s decline and the rash of injuries, and that the team is actively looking for a true No. 1 back.
  • A recent mock draft links Arizona strongly to Notre Dame star Jeremiyah Love in the 2026 NFL Draft, framing him as the top RB in the class and a potential first‑round target for the Cardinals.
  • Analysts specifically argue that taking Love would be a way to reset the backfield and finally give the offense a young feature back, which implies that if he is drafted high, he would be favored to start quickly.

If the Cardinals spend a premium pick on Jeremiyah Love:

  • He becomes the favorite to be the starting running back for the Cardinals as soon as his rookie season, with Carter and Demercado shifting into complementary roles.

Putting it all together

  • Today / pre‑draft: Michael Carter is the best bet to start, with Emari Demercado heavily involved, but it is still very much a committee and not a classic bell‑cow situation.
  • After the 2026 draft: If Arizona uses a top pick on Jeremiyah Love as several pieces predict, he instantly becomes the most likely long‑term starting running back for the Cardinals.

So the honest answer is: there is no final, official named starter yet, but Carter is the provisional lead back right now, and Jeremiyah Love looms as the projected future starter if the Cardinals follow through on draft expectations.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.