If battling nagging ankle injuries across his first eight weeks was frustrating enough for Cardinals rookie Jeremiyah Love, his debut season just got a lot more brutal.
The Cardinals announced Monday that Jeremiyah Love suffered another ankle injury vs. the Cowboys, a new one from the previous two.
He sprained his right ankle in his preseason debut against the Raiders, rushed back for Week 1, and then sprained his left ankle early in the regular season before severely re-aggravating it on a hard cut against New York in Week 4.
This one is not a re-aggravation of either of those. It’s new.
Cardinals HC Clarifies Jeremiyah Love’s ‘New’ Injury
“This is new, so this is not the left ankle or the right. It’s a new portion of the ankle. So I’ll keep it at that. I’m going to know a little bit more tomorrow. And I haven’t talked to him yet, so out of respect for not talking to him yet, I’ll give you guys more on Wednesday,” head coach Mike LaFleur said in his media appearance, via Bo Brack.
Love appeared to tweak his ankle, but LaFleur reported it’s something different. Cameras caught him limping off to the sideline before throwing his helmet in frustration.
Doctor of Physical Therapy Jeff Mueller thinks it seems more like a hip contusion.
“Jeremiyah Love limped off the field, seemed to be favoring his left side (same side as his ankle), but this seems more like a hip contusion/pointer from the defender hitting him.
Hopefully more “hurts in the moment” versus injury,” Mueller wrote.
Just days before stepping back onto the grass, Love detailed how frustrating it was to wait around and not play.
“That was kind of frustrating. But it is what it was. Moving on to the next thing. And I got some time to rest, and now I’m back up. Just excited to go out there and help my team. I really don’t focus on personal stuff, so I just want to do my job,” Love said.
LaFleur felt the same frustration creeping up on him for Love after seeing his work ethic.
Love, LaFleur Open up on ‘Frustrating’ Injury
“It’s frustrating. It just stinks for him. He wants to be out there helping his teammates. Like, this guy loves the ball. He just wants to contribute. He’s such a team guy, such a coachable guy. Such a likable guy. And for him to go through what he’s going through- it’s adversity, for sure. But he’s going to be stronger because of this.”
The full extent of Love’s latest injury remains unclear as the team awaits complete imaging results, with the official word expected when LaFleur meets the media on Wednesday.
LaFleur was even pressed whether the Cardinals are considering putting Love on Injury/Reserve, and LaFleur asked them to “bear with him till Wednesday.”
The timing couldn’t be worse. Losing Love would hurt anyway, but Bam Knight going down in concussion protocol cleared out the rest of the rotation.
That leaves Tyler Allgeier as the last man standing in their RB room, and he’s far from 100% after fighting off a weekly toe injury just to suit up. Overworking Allgeier right now is playing with fire, and the Cardinals desperately need good news on Love’s ankle before this unit runs out of gas.
“I ain’t myself if I ain’t got my ankles,” Love said.
“It’s New”: Cardinals’ Jeremiyah Love Hit With Third Separate Ankle Injury