The Arizona Cardinals head into their preseason finale against the Green Bay Packers with a couple of rookie injuries still worth watching, even if the bigger focus is on the players fighting for spots on the roster bubble.
For Jeremiyah Love, the update is encouraging, but not enough to get him back on the field this week. Mike LaFleur said Love is “progressing but will be sidelined this week with ankle.”
Love has been dealing with a high ankle sprain suffered in the preseason opener against the Las Vegas Raiders, and the way things have played out suggests the Cardinals are more concerned with having him ready for Week 1 than squeezing in one more preseason appearance. If he’s healthy, he should still be in line to see playing time.
Carson Beck’s situation is less clear. LaFleur said Beck’s “status TBD,” though he added that the throwing session after practice “went well.”
Beck hurt his ribs in the Hall of Fame Game, and that injury has kept him in the recovery phase as he works back toward full strength. His showing in that game had prompted some chatter about whether he could push Jacoby Brissett for the QB1 job, but that idea never looked likely, and the injury only made it harder for him to gain any ground.
The good news for Arizona is that both rookies appear to be moving in the right direction. The expectation is that they should be healthy by Week 1, with Love likely in position to contribute if he’s available and Beck set to back up Brissett and Gardner Minshew II this season.
In Other News...
Cardinals Collapse Put Their Quarterback Gamble In A Tougher Spot
The Cardinals preseason loss to Dallas did more than just fill a line in the standings. Even with most of their starters resting, Arizona gave up 34 points and 413 total yards to a Cowboys group built around backup players, a rough showing that put a spotlight on the kind of depth issues teams hope to avoid this time of year. It also served as a reminder that the offseason quarterback picture is already under a brighter-than-usual lens, with Jacoby Brissett, Gardner Minshew and rookie Carson Beck all part of the conversation.
Mike LaFleur pointed to a poor week of practice as part of the problem, and the game did little to ease the pressure around a roster trying to find some stability. The defensive concerns are obvious enough, but the bigger question may be how much support the quarterbacks will actually have if the rest of the team cannot hold up its end. For a club already weighing its options under center, a lopsided preseason setback does not make that decision any easier. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Defense Is Giving Fans A Familiar Reason To Worry
The Cardinals defense entered the 2025 preseason with some expectation that the new-look coaching staff would help clean up last years problems, but the early returns have looked awfully familiar. Under defensive coordinator Nick Rallis, Arizona has already given up more than 30 points in two preseason games, and the issues have shown up in the same places they did before: stopping the run and getting off the field on third down.
Arizona allowed 25.6 points per game in the preseason, along with 139.7 rushing yards and a 61.1% opponent third-down conversion rate, numbers that point to more than just August rust. With coaching changes at most positions but continuity at defensive coordinator, the Cardinals are still searching for signs that the problems from a year ago are being addressed rather than repeated. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Still Have Key Week 1 Jobs Up For Grabs
With one preseason game left before the roster gets trimmed to 53, the Cardinals are still sorting out a few of the most important Week 1 decisions. Mike LaFleur is expected to settle on Jacoby Brissett at quarterback, while Jeremiyah Love and Tyler Allgeier appear set to share the workload at running back, giving Arizona a clearer picture of the top of the depth chart even as the final shape of the lineup remains in flux.
Plenty of other jobs are still being sorted out on both sides of the ball, and the last exhibition outing figures to matter for more than just fringe roster hopefuls. Several projected starters and rotation spots are still tied to game-plan needs and how players perform in live action, which means the Cardinals are entering the finish line with a few questions still open and a lot of the meaningful decisions still ahead. [Read more 🡒]