Arizona may have lost to Green Bay in Friday’s 42-38 preseason finale, but the Cardinals walked away with the news that actually mattered for Week 1.
Jeremiyah Love took a major step forward in his ankle recovery. According to a video shared by insider Zach Gershman, Love was spotted back on the field doing side work in Green Bay.
The rookie had been sidelined since suffering a high-ankle sprain during his 14-touch preseason debut against Las Vegas.
While he finished that game normally and head coach Mike LaFleur initially brushed off the issue, the joint swelled up significantly the following morning. That led to a weeks-long shutdown where Love missed joint practices and preseason games.
With veteran James Conner still recovering from last year’s season-ending foot injury, Arizona’s running back room was quickly running on fumes. All the heavy lifting fell onto free-agent signing Tyler Allgeier.
Seeing Love back on his feet before the opener against the Chargers gives Arizona a glimmer of hope that their dynamic rookie will be ready to roll for Week 1.
Jeremiyah Love Back in Training
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, a high ankle sprain takes around four weeks to heal, putting him right on the bubble for the season opener.
That tight window means the rookie has virtually zero room if he wants to play against Los Angeles. While head coach LaFleur made it clear the team wasn’t going to rush his recovery or push him through physical joint practices against Green Bay, he was encouraged by his week-to-week progress.
“He’s doing well, progressing well, and kind of in the next phase of it,” LaFleur said on Love earlier this week before confirming he wouldn’t practice against the Packers.
While missing practice reps isn’t something the Cardinals want from their star rookie, seeing him transition to side-field work gave Arizona its first real reason for optimism since the injury occurred.
Thursday night, Arizona insider John Gambadoro had a promising update on Love. “Jeremiyah Love trending in the right direction for week one needs to keep progressing though – still a ways to go but looking positive,” Gambadoro tweeted.
On Friday, he was already warming up.
Why Arizona Needs Love for Season-Opener vs. Chargers
Without Love, Arizona loses its primary back—forcing Allgeier to do all the heavy lifting all by himself against a Jim Harbaugh defense built specifically to crush physical, one-dimensional run games.
Arizona added Tre Stewart off waivers, but he remains an unproven camp body stepping into an already depleted backfield.
If Love doesn’t go, the Chargers can stack seven or eight guys in the box and force Jacoby Brissett to beat them with his arm. Getting him out there keeps the defense honest and stops Los Angeles from crowding the line.
Pushing his regular-season debut back strips the offense of its most dangerous weapon when they need him most.
“He really could come to our room if he ever wanted to,” Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. said of Love. “Seeing him on twitch routes killing backers is laughable sometimes.”
Cardinals Get Jeremiyah Love Update They’ve Been Waiting For Week 1