The Arizona Cardinals may have to wait a little longer to see Jeremiyah Love again.
The rookie running back is dealing with a high ankle sprain, and that injury is expected to keep him out of the team’s final two preseason games, according to USA TODAY citing ESPN reporting. His status for the regular-season opener is now in question, even though the Cardinals are still holding out hope he can be ready for Sept. 13 against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Coach Mike LaFleur wasn’t eager to get into specifics during his Sunday news conference after Love got hurt in Thursday’s preseason win over the Las Vegas Raiders.
“It’s an ankle, so we’ll keep it at that,” LaFleur told reporters.
Sources told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter that Love is unlikely to play again this preseason. Schefter later posted on X that “Cardinals rookie running back Jeremiyah Love is dealing with a high ankle sprain, per sources. It makes it unlikely that Love plays again this preseason, with the team hoping he can return for the Sept. 13 regular-season opener vs the Chargers.”
Love had barely gotten his feet wet before the injury hit. In his preseason debut on Aug. 14, he put up 72 total yards on 14 touches, including 11 carries for 58 yards and three catches for 14 yards. He was on the field for 27 snaps, a workload that drew notice around the league.
LaFleur stood by the decision to give the Notre Dame product that kind of early action.
“It’s a rookie that hadn’t played,” LaFleur said. “Not to share too many secrets ’cause I haven’t said it with the players yet, knowing that it was what 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.”
The injury will keep Love out of practice this week and out of Saturday’s preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys. Arizona plans to take another look at him next week, with the preseason finale against the Green Bay Packers coming after that. Starters are expected to see limited or no action in that game.
The Cardinals’ backfield is already dealing with other bumps. Veteran James Conner has been limited by a foot issue, and Trey Benson is working through a knee injury. That has pushed offseason addition Tyler Allgeier into a bigger role for now, and the team also signed Tre Stewart after trying out several free agents.
Love’s setback also deepens the early trouble for Arizona’s 2026 draft class. Second-round offensive lineman Chase Bisontis was placed on injured reserve with a season-ending MCL tear suffered in the same Raiders game, according to multiple reports including AZ Central. Fourth-round defensive tackle Kaleb Proctor has been on injured reserve since July with a torn meniscus suffered during OTAs and will miss the entire season.
For LaFleur, the first stretch of his first season as head coach has already become a test of roster depth and patience. Love flashed the burst and vision that made him the highest-drafted running back since Saquon Barkley in 2018, but the Cardinals now have to protect that investment while trying to get him enough work before the season starts.
High ankle sprains can take different amounts of time to heal. Some players are back in two to three weeks; others need closer to a month.
With roughly four weeks left until the Chargers game, Arizona still has a path to get Love ready if the injury is on the milder side. What happens over the next few days will go a long way toward deciding whether he’s available for Week 1.
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