Arizona Cardinals rookie Jeremiyah Love, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, is already out for the rest of preseason after suffering a high-ankle sprain in his very first game against the Las Vegas Raiders. We’re talking 11 carries and three catches, a whopping 14 touches for a top prospect in a game that doesn’t count. This isn’t the kind of news any team wants to hear about their big investment, especially not this early.
Mike LaFleur’s Preseason Gamble on His Rookie
Usually, when you see a running back piling up double-digit carries in a preseason game, it’s a guy trying to claw his way onto the roster. Not a No. 3 overall pick the team just shelled out over $53 million in guaranteed money for! That’s more than Jahmyr Gibbs and Bijan Robinson got in their extensions. Love’s heavy workload led directly to that high-ankle sprain, and while the Cardinals are “hopeful” he can be ready for Week 1 against the Los Angeles Chargers, his preseason is officially done.
Was this whole mess a fluke? Or did first-year Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur bring this on himself by force-feeding Love? LaFleur was quick to defend the decision, saying, “I mean, it’s a rookie that hadn’t played… that was how it was going to be in terms of how many games these guys were gonna play, for what we were looking for. So, that’s what the thought was.” Sounds like he wanted to see Love handle “extended duty.” But let’s be real, this is the highest-drafted running back since Trent Richardson in 2012, and he rarely even topped 20 touches in a game during his 41-game career at Notre Dame. Plus, LaFleur himself said at the start of camp that he didn’t want to overload backs because “we’ve seen that story when guys are a little bit overloaded.” Talk about foresight, right?
The Cardinals’ Backfield Is Bleeding Out Before Week 1
Now, Love is sidelined for “a few weeks,” and that crowded backfield the Cardinals supposedly had is looking paper-thin. It gets worse: James Conner hasn’t even taken part in full-team work yet, still recovering from offseason foot-and-ankle surgery. Tre Benson is also slowed down by his own knee injury. So, with your No. 3 pick, your veteran, and another young back all dealing with injuries, who’s left to carry the rock?
And it’s not just the running backs. This injury bug has absolutely slammed the Cardinals’ entire draft class. Love is out, of course, but their second-round guard Chase Bisontis is done for the season with a torn MCL, and fourth-round defensive tackle Kaleb Proctor is also out for the year with a torn meniscus. Their top four draft picks are currently sidelined. This isn’t just bad luck; it’s a full-blown crisis.
So, the Cardinals are limping into the regular season with their top draft picks dropping like flies and their backfield in shambles. How does LaFleur plan to piece this offense together for Week 1 against the Chargers? This team has to figure out their health issues and quick, or it’s going to be a long season.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
Leave a Reply