Beanie Wells holds the Arizona Cardinals franchise record for rushing yards in a single game, but other than that, he was largely a bust during his time in the desert. Since being drafted in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft, Wells started just 23 games for the Cards. In that time, he rushed for 2,471 yards and 24 touchdowns, but he also had 10 fumbles, five of which were lost to the opposing team.
Because of his fumbling and injury concerns, Wells was released by new GM Steve Keim and is free to sign with any other team. With his tenure coming to an end in Arizona, it is fair to say that he was largely a bust. The early part of his career was much like another Cardinals running back's: Thomas Jones. Jones was a draftee of the Cards in 2000 and only played 3 seasons here before moving on. Whether Wells goes on to have the success that Jones did is to be determined.
A couple of years ago, Jess did a series on the biggest Cardinals draft busts of all time. He concluded that Matt Leinart was the biggest bust in franchise history, followed by Leonard Davis, Wendall Bryant and Andre Wadsworth. While Beanie was not as big of a bust as those players, it could be argued that he is in the top ten, especially since the Cardinals have been in Arizona.
Thomas Jones was Jess' 4th biggest bust, which I think is fair. If we are to use him as a barometer, I would say Beanie had a better Cardinals career than Jones, but it was not significantly superior. Does that mean Beanie comes in at #5?
What do you think? Where does Beanie fall on the all-time bust list for the Arizona Cardinals? Does he beat out guys like Tom Knight or Cody Brown? Was he a bust at all, or simply a guy that didn't fit with the new coaching regime? Tell us in the comments section below.