Jeremiyah Love’s recovery is moving in the direction Cardinals fans wanted to hear.
The Arizona rookie running back has been out since suffering a high ankle injury in preseason action against the Raiders, and he has not practiced since leaving Las Vegas. That initially put his availability for the regular-season opener in doubt, but the latest word suggests Love is trending toward being ready for Arizona’s Week 1 matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers.
“Jeremiyah Love trending in the right direction for week one needs to keep progressing though - still a ways to go but looking positive,” Arizona Sports’ John Gambadoro said in a recent X post.
Love’s injury came after he logged 14 total touches against Las Vegas in what now appears to have been his only preseason action. After the game, LaFleur said the ankle issue was something Love likely could have returned from, and at the time the Cardinals did not seem overly concerned. Love also spoke to reporters in the locker room at Allegiant Stadium and, by all accounts, was in good spirits.
Since Arizona returned from Vegas, though, the picture has shifted. The injury has apparently regressed, and the Cardinals’ backfield has only gotten thinner, with James Conner currently not playing or practicing and Trey Benson on injured reserve.
Even with the setback, Love has already shown enough to create real buzz in the Valley. He stood out in his short preseason run and built on an impressive training camp, giving the Cardinals something to be excited about.
“He's doing well, progressing well, and kind of in the next phase of it,” LaFleur said on Love earlier this week before confirming he wouldn't practice against the Packers.
That kind of optimism matters because Love looks like more than just another rookie in a crowded room. Arizona sees him as someone who can influence both the ground game and the passing game at a high level, and Marvin Harrison Jr. didn’t exactly hide how impressed he’s been.
“He really could come to our room if he ever wanted to,” Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. said of Love. “Seeing him on twitch routes killing backers is laughable sometimes.”
With nearly a calendar month between the injury and Week 1 in Los Angeles, Love will have had time to recover and get himself ready for the Chargers. Even if he’s active, the Cardinals may still choose to manage his workload carefully, especially with Tyler Allgeier in the room.
In Other News...
BJ Ojulari Just Reopened A Cardinals Roster Battle
The Cardinals preseason finale in Green Bay didnt change the outcome on the scoreboard, but it did give BJ Ojulari one more chance to make his case. Arizona fell to the Packers, yet Ojulari flashed the kind of pass-rush pressure the team has been hoping to see, finishing with multiple tackles and sacks and looking more disruptive than he had earlier in camp.
Ojularis performance, though, came mostly against backup competition, which keeps the evaluation from being straightforward. That matters because he is still locked in a roster fight with Eku Leota, and Leota brings value in the kicking game that can tilt a close decision when the Cardinals start trimming the edge rusher group. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Just Exposed A Tight End Problem Behind Trey McBride
The Cardinals went shopping for tight end depth by sending a 2028 sixth-round pick to Jacksonville for Hunter Long and a 2028 seventh-round pick, a move that says as much about the roster behind Trey McBride as it does about Long himself. Arizona has reason to keep adding bodies at the position, with uncertainty still hanging over the health and availability of Elijah Higgins and Tip Reiman as camp and roster decisions continue to take shape.
Long now looks positioned to stick on the initial 53-man roster, and Arizona is expected to keep four tight ends when the dust settles. It is a small trade on paper, but it points to a bigger issue the Cardinals are trying to sort out: beyond McBride, the depth chart is not settled, and the team needed another viable option before the season gets any closer. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Settle James Conner Question But Backfield Worry Is Growing
James Conners 2026 outlook is clearer now, even if it comes with an early-season setback. The Cardinals are planning to open the year with their veteran back on injured reserve designated to return, which means he will miss at least the first four games after being held out of preseason action because of a foot and ankle injury.
Trey Bensons situation adds a different kind of concern to Arizonas backfield picture. The Cardinals have also moved him to injured reserve, and his stay there is expected to end with an injury settlement, leaving the team to sort through its running back depth without two familiar options right out of the gate. [Read more 🡒]