With 33 seconds left in the second quarter of Arizona’s Week 1 preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders, Jeremiyah Love injured his ankle after catching a seven-yard pass. Love leaked out of the backfield from the left side of the formation and then cut back inside when Gardner Minshew immediately hit him. As the Raiders defender brought him to the ground, he rolled over his left ankle.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Sunday that the injury has been diagnosed as a high ankle sprain and that Love is likely done for the remainder of the preseason.
Love did look explosive and worthy of the number three overall selection in the draft, as he racked up 58 yards rushing on 11 carries while catching all three targets for 14 yards.
While Arizona is optimistic that Love will be ready by Week 1, high-ankle sprains can often take two to three months to recover from.
Things have come back full circle for Tyler Allgeier, who signed a two-year, $12.25 million contract in the offseason to presumably handle the bulk of the workload. Then the Cardinals went and selected Love in the draft. In his four-year career with Atlanta, Allgeier rushed 676 times for 2,876 yards and 18 touchdowns while hauling in 61 of 69 targets for 516 yards and two touchdowns. The career EPA per carry is -0.05.
James Conner, the 30-year-old running back who put up back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons in 2023 and 2024, would likely be next in line if Love is out for an extended period of time.
Per PFF, Arizona has the 22nd-best offensive line heading into the season.
