A devoted and aggressive warrior, one that is thoroughly experienced in warfare and who lives by a time-honoured code. 

That is the traditional definition of a war dog, though it could also serve as a fitting description of Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner. 

There are people who would describe the football field on any given Sunday to be as close to a battlefield as you can witness in civilised society. Nobody personifies that line of thinking like Conner, with his no holds barred, no quarter given mentality to running the football down the throats of the opposition. 

A three time winner of GMFB’s Angry Runs sceptre for the most badass running play of the week, Conner fights for every blade of grass on every play, no matter the obstacle placed in front of him. 

That should come as no surprise to anyone who has followed the 29-year-old’s career. James Conner won the biggest battle of his life before even entering the NFL, as he underwent chemotherapy treatment after being diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in 2015 while at the University of Pittsburgh, following tests that revealed tumours around his heart. 

The doctor who delivered the news told Conner that he “had about a week” to live if they hadn’t discovered the tumours, due to the rate at which they were growing, Conner disclosed on the YNK:You Know What I Mean? podcast in 2019.

Conner was declared cancer-free in 2016 and returned to Pitt for his senior year before being drafted by the Steelers in 2017. 

Though a Pittsburgh boy through and through, having been born and raised in Pennsylvania, the running back has become synonymous with the Arizona Cardinals. Last weekend’s win over Chicago was Conner’s 100th game in the NFL, a perfect 50/50 split between the Steelers and the Cardinals.

That will tip in the Cardinals’ favour when Conner takes the field today against the Jets.

It’s not only due to appearances that James Conner has become a major part of the Cardinals identity. During his time in the desert, the former Pro Bowler has regularly carried the team’s offensive hopes on his broad shoulders especially since the introduction of Offensive Coordinator Drew Petzing in 2023. 

If Budda Baker is the heartbeat of the defence, then James Conner is the spirit of the offence, the smash mouth soul which has helped to redefine the Arizona Cardinals into a force that on its best day can be as overwhelming to a defence as the Arizona heat. 

The Cardinals rushing attack, which is currently fifth overall for total yards (1347) and seventh for yards per game (149.7), is built on trench warfare where everyone mucks in including tight ends and receivers and benefits greatly from the unique ability of Kyler Murray. 

If the quarterback is the commander in chief, then James Conner is Kyler Murray’s right hand man. 

Last week against the Bears, with the game at a pivotal situation at 7-6, Conner smashed through the Bears defence for multiple first downs that would eventually lead to a first career touchdown for his understudy Trey Benson. 

Even a huge hit that landed the veteran ‘back on his head and required a trip to the medical tent couldn’t stop Conner from wracking up 119 all-purpose yards in the game.

While Chad Ryland has rightly been praised for the game-winning efforts against San Francisco, LA and Miami, it was the punishing never-say-die running attitude of Conner that gave the young kicker the platform to make those invaluable kicks. 

All 3 of those game-winning drives included at least one and sometimes multiple vintage Conner moments, delivering the final hammer blow to defensive fronts that had been punctured and battered by the Cardinals offence. 

Although this is his eighth season in the NFL, James Conner has gone from strength to strength since arriving in the desert in 2021, which is saying something when his first year as a Cardinal ended with the Pitt graduate scoring a career best 18 touchdowns. 

He also recorded his only 1000+ rushing yard season in the NFL last year, with 1040 yards. That was despite missing 4 games through injury. 

In the past calendar year, Conner has 5 100+ yard rushing games and 7 in the past 12 months. Four of those are across 9 games this season. He currently has 18 in his career and one more would give him 10 as an Arizona Cardinal. 

There can be no doubt that a player who gives everything for the team is also giving Arizona the best football of his career.

In a contract year for the running back, James Conner is proving to be indispensable. 

Prior to the start of Week 10, Conner sat #5 overall for Yards After Contact per attempt (3.64). He is #6 for rushing yards (664) and on course to smash his overall total from last year if he remains healthy as he is averaging 73.8 yards per game. Should he carry that form through 17 games, it would equate to 1254.6 (so let’s say 1255) yards. 

While there has been some notable adversity – the Lions held him to just 17 yards and the Dolphins contained him to just 2.6 yards per attempt – Conner is currently having more success per rush (according to FBREF) at 53.1% compared to last year’s total of 49.5. 

The most integral statistic for this offence is perhaps that only Derrick Henry has claimed more first downs than James Conner across the league. Before beating the Bengals on Thursday Night Football, Henry had 46. James Conner is credited with 44 first downs. 

The scary thing for opposition defences? Even as he heads towards a 30th birthday in 2025, James Conner is still improving his game. He recently told Kyle Brandt and the rest of the GMFB crew that he is always trying to “elevate my game and be a player on the rise consistently, trying to add new things to the game”. 

While he is adored for his bruising style, Conner is also a player with a underrated burst to his game, something that can often take teams by surprise. As defenders set for a tackle, tightening up for the incoming impact, Conner can often find an extra spring to his step to leave them flailing. 

Depending on which companies’ metrics you view, James Conner has forced anywhere between 53 and 60 missed tackles this year. No matter which one is your preferred option, James Conner tops them all. 

PFF, for example, has Conner forcing 60 missed tackles through 9 games this year. That’s 17 more than the closest player in their rankings and nobody has forced more in a single game than the 15 the Cardinals running back forced against the Chargers. 

That will be a problem that has kept Jets Interim Head Coach and defensive play caller Jeff Ulbrich up all week. The Jets have missed 63 tackles on run plays this season, 13 more than any other defence. 

James Conner represents a problem that will also be making General Manager Monti Ossenfort restless as well, with the running back currently set to become a free agent in the offseason. 

James Conner should be a priority signing for the Cardinals. He’s integral to the offence. Nobody is questioning that but playing at this level will attract admirers and you never know how desperate teams will get to secure quality players. 

Both Derrick Henry and David Montgomery have signed deals in recent times that would likely be within the range of what Conner would command. Henry signed a two-year $16m contract with a maximum value of $20m with incentives while Montgomery penned a three-year extension worth a reported $18m. 

With a projected $114m in cap space in 2025 according to spotrac, up to nearly $119m with OverTheCap, the Cardinals would have the ability to lock down a key piece of their offence without affecting their other team building needs. 

James Conner, the war dog of the Cardinals offence, fights every game for the Arizona Cardinals. They should fight for James Conner to remain as an Arizona Cardinal. 

Photo Credits: Wesley Hitt/Getty Images, Caitlyn Epes/Arizona Cardinals