The Cardinals didn’t even get time to catch their breath after their 34-13 loss to the Cowboys in preseason game 3, when head coach Mike LaFleur had to deliver another bummer of injury news.
Jeremiyah Love will not participate in the Cardinals’ joint practice with the Packers on Wednesday.
“He will not be on the field doing any sort of practice or anything like that right now,” he added.
Jeremiyah Love Recovering Slowly
GettyArizona Cardinals HC Mike LaFleur Gives injury update on Jeremiyah Love.
There was always a chance he would miss the rest of the preseason, but LaFleur still offered a slightly more promising update on his recovery.
“He’s doing well, progressing well, and kind of in the next phase of it,” LaFleur said about Love. That’s not the concerning part. It is his return date.
After staying tight-lipped earlier in the day, LaFleur confirmed that Love had a high ankle sprain. Those take longer to heal compared to low ankle sprains.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, it takes around four weeks to heal—placing Love’s potential return on a razor-thin margin for Arizona’s Week 1 matchup against the Chargers.
A four-week window means just enough room to get medically cleared days before kickoff, but it leaves him virtually zero time for full-contact practice reps. Any slight delay in his rehab pushes his debut into Week 2 or beyond.
For a No. 3 overall pick who logged 14 explosive touches in his preseason debut against the Raiders, the Cardinals won’t rush the timeline.
That doesn’t mean Arizona’s front office is waiting around. After working out a trio of free-agent running backs—Montrell Johnson, Blake Watson, and Tre Stewart—the Cardinals signed Stewart to add immediate camp depth behind veterans James Conner and Tyler Allgeier while Love works his way back.
Carson Beck TBD for Packers
GettyArizona Cardinals HC Mike LaFleur Gives injury update on Jeremiyah Love and Carson Beck.
Rookie Beck is in the same boat as Love. After injuring his ribs in preseason Hall of Fame game, Beck hasn’t taken a single rep.
However, there is still a chance Beck recovers just in time to square off against the Packers. It all depends on the throwing session after their final practice of the week.
“Good with the throwing session. Still TBD in terms of what this Friday will look like,” said LaFleur.
LaFleur then dives into a lengthy explanation about his injury.
“It’s easy to magnify the quarterback position and the rookie and all that kind of stuff, but yeah, you get better at football by practicing and playing football. So when you’re not out there, it’s hard to get better, right? So he’s missed some days, but that’s no different than the nose guard,” he said.
“That’s no different than the receiver. That’s no different than the left tackle, particularly for the younger guys. So it is what it is. Injuries are part of this thing, and you know he’s a tough dude.”
The AZ head coach was making a clear point with it. They aren’t rushing Beck, the future face of their franchise, until he’s absolutely ready to go.
“Like I said, he battled through it for three or four practices before the discomfort became so real that it just wasn’t worth it to [play] because it wasn’t going to improve until we gave him a little bit of time.”
Cardinals Get Concerning Jeremiyah Love Update Ahead of Preseason Finale vs. Packers