​Jeremiyah Love injury updates: Latest news on Cardinals rookie RB dealing with preseason ankle injury originally appeared on The Sporting News.
Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.The Arizona Cardinals don’t carry very high expectations into Year 1 under Mike LaFleur, but Jeremiyah Love should be one of the bright spots in 2026.Drafted No. 3 overall in April — a premium draft slot for a running back — Love is expected to immediately become one of the NFL’s most explosive weapons as a rookie. Alongside Trey McBride, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Michael Wilson within Arizona’s offense, he may have a chance at contending for Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.Love made his Cardinals debut in Thursday’s preseason matchup vs. the Raiders, but LaFleur shared afterward that the running back will now be sidelined with an injury.Here’s what to know about Love’s injury status moving forward.NFC WEST BETTING PREVIEWS:Arizona Cardinals odds, futures and propsLos Angeles Rams odds, futures and propsSan Francisco 49ers odds, futures and propsSeattle Seahawks odds, futures and propsJeremiyah Love injury updatesLove didn’t play in the Hall of Fame game, but did take snaps for Arizona in its second preseason matchup on Thursday night. He took his 11 carries for 58 yards and three receptions for 14 yards.However, LaFleur said Saturday that Love injured his left ankle in Arizona’s matchup, dealing with soreness around the ankle.Per ESPN, LaFleur said Love was “more sore than we were anticipating” on Friday after the game. The team expects him to be sidelined for around a week to let his ankle heal; Love will be re-evaluated next week before the Cardinals decide whether he’ll continue playing in the preseason.”He was in great spirits even yesterday,” LaFleur said.Love’s injury isn’t considered significant, but there is a chance the team wants to be precautionary and keep him out of preseason games until Week 1.MORE: How Seahawks’ Devon Witherspoon’s new deal made NFL historyWhat happened to Jeremiyah Love?Love began dealing with left ankle soreness after his Cardinals debut in their second preseason game.Arizona is holding him out of practice and preseason games for around a week for precautionary reasons, and Love will then be re-evaluated.Cardinals RB depth chartRankPlayer1Jeremiyah Love2James Conner3Tyler Allgeier4Trey BensonArizona’s decision to draft Love at No. 3 overall came despite the team already boasting some solid running back depth.Love is expected to handle plenty of reps throughout the 2026 season, but next-in-line appears to be veteran James Conner, who posted consecutive 1,000-yard seasons for Arizona in 2023 and 2024 before a foot injury held him to just three games in 2025.Conner has yet to participate in 11-on-11 drills or preseason so far, but LaFleur said he’s “progressing.””I’m not going to give you a timeline on it because we don’t know that timeline yet,” LaFleur said Saturday of Conner, per ESPN. ”