Cardinals Add New Running Backs Coach

The Arizona Cardinals added this coach to their staff.

Jan 19, 2026; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Miami Hurricanes running backs coach Matt Merritt against the Indiana Hoosiers during the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Arizona Cardinals have added a new coach to Mike LaFleur's staff.

According to college football insider Pete Thamel, Arizona has hired Miami Hurricanes running backs coach Matt Merritt.

"Sources: Miami running backs coach Matt Merritt has accepted a job as the Arizona Cardinals running backs coach. He led a running backs room last year at Miami that included star tailback Mark Fletcher. Merritt's time in college included stops at Ohio State, Tennessee and USF," he put on X.

It appears the Cardinals won't be retaining prior running backs coach Autry Denson, and the Cardinals' running back room is interesting entering the 2026 offseason.

Arizona saw James Conner hit injured reserve with a season-ending foot injury early in 2025 while Trey Benson quickly followed suit with a knee injury that also saw him play just four games this past season.

Conner is a cut candidate entering 2026 due to his injury and potential cap savings, which is $7.5 million if he's a Pre-June 1 cut.

Benson will be entering his third season in the league, and as a Day 2 pick he's yet to hit his expectations as a high draft selection.

The Cardinals' running game took a massive step back in 2025 after offensive line coach Klayton Adams left to become the Dallas Cowboys' offensive coordinator.

Arizona's rushing attack ranked as the second-worst in the NFL at 93.1 yards per game last season.

Now, LaFleur is tasked with re-working the Cardinals' entire offense from the ground up.

"This league is pressure. It is. Every year is a blank slate," LaFleur said on expectations of turning things around instantly.

"I'm not worried about what our record was, the record last year, all that means is we got a higher draft pick. That's all that really matters at that point. We got to go to work to build this roster, even if it flipped and it was 14-3, guess what? You go right back to work. So I'm not really concerned about all that kind of stuff.

"I just am concerned about building this staff and getting to working with these guys so that when the time does come, we're putting our best foot forward to go win football games."

LaFleur has hired offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett but has yet to fill his vacancy at defensive coordinator. His staff is slowly coming together, however, and Merritt is just the latest name added to the group.