James Conner's 21-Day Practice Window Opened by Cardinals amid Knee Injury Recovery

Amid his stint on injured reserve, the Arizona Cardinals announced Wednesday that they opened the 21-day practice window for running back James Conner.

The Cards placed Conner on IR on Oct. 10 with a knee injury, and he has since missed Arizona's past four games.

Conner is eligible to return against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, and the team announced that there is "a chance" Conner will be activated from IR and inserted into the lineup in Week 10.

A two-time Pro Bowler during his seven-year NFL career with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cardinals, Conner was off to a strong start this season before getting injured.

In five games, Conner recorded 364 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 68 carries to go along with eight receptions for 30 yards as the Cards' unquestioned No. 1 running back.

Conner is just two years removed from one of his best seasons, as he racked up 1,127 yards and a career-high 18 touchdowns en route to a Pro Bowl selection in 2021, and he followed it up with 1,082 yards and eight touchdowns last season.

Arizona has struggled as a team this season, going a league-worst 1-8, but things are looking up ahead of Week 10.

Quarterback Kyler Murray is in line to make his first of the season against Atlanta after a torn ACL cost him the latter part of last season and the first nine games of this season.

Conner could also make his return, although Arizona has three weeks before it has to activate him.

The Arizona running game would benefit greatly from Conner's return since head coach Jonathan Gannon's team has struggled to run the ball with any consistency during Conner's absence.

Aside from Conner, Emari Demercado is the Cardinals' leading rusher with 195 yards and one touchdown on 49 carries, while Keaontay Ingram has rushed 33 times for 72 yards and no scores.