The Arizona Cardinals didn’t touch Jeremiyah Love on Sunday, but their 53-man roster cuts, especially on the backfield, gave away their plan.
When the Cardinals dropped their initial 53-man roster Sunday, their once crowded running back room was trimmed down to just three: Tyler Allgeier, Bam Knight, and Love.
A running back room that thinned leaves zero room for error, indirectly sending a clear message about Love’s recovery.
Ever since the No. 3 pick went down with a high-ankle sprain he suffered against the Raiders, all reports coming out of Tempe say the same thing: Love is trending in the right direction to suit up for their season-opener against the Chargers.
Why Cardinals Move Means Confidence in Jeremiyah Love’s Return?
Love’s return is still up in the air heading into September, but even with that, the Cardinals didn’t feel compelled enough to add a fourth running back to their roster. If Mike LaFleur felt that his availability was in serious jeopardy, they had plenty of options to choose from to maintain positional depth, just in case, as Cardinals insider Theo Mackie puts it.
Even Evan Hull, whose 47-yard touchdown in the preseason finale left everyone stunned, did not make the cut. That signals very strong confidence from the Cardinals in Love getting cleared before Week 1.
The Cardinals also have James Conner on IR with a return tag. With Conner out for at least the first four games of the regular season, Arizona knows that this exact backfield setup is all they have for the first month.
Keeping only Allgeier and Bam Knight behind Love confirms the Cardinals have no intention of stashing their rookie star on the bench.
Head coach Mike LaFleur confirmed that he is “confident that he’s progressing well” in his interview with PHNX’s Bo Brack.
“He’s taking another step, took another step yesterday, he’ll take another step today.” Just last week, Love was reportedly spotted back in the field, participating in individual drills ahead of their preseason finale vs. the Packers.
Jeremiyah Love’s Week 1 Status Awaited
When Love got injured, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that a typical high ankle sprain takes roughly four weeks to heal. Love got injured vs. the Raiders on Aug. 13, and they play the Chargers on Sep. 14, putting Love exactly on the bubble to return.
Even if Love does beat the four-week timeline and suits up against the Chargers, nobody in Arizona’s building is expecting him to carry the whole offense right out of the gate. A rebuilding team has zero reason to run its prized rookie into the ground, especially coming off a tricky ankle injury.
However, Allgeier needs to be prepared for a tough workload. Most of the backfield hopes are riding on him. With Allgeier available to shoulder the heavy early-down collisions, the Cardinals will go easy on Love, even if he’s back in rotation. Allgeier would do the heavy lifting.
In another scenario where Love’s regular-season debut gets pushed to Week 2, Allgeier again has to handle the backfield alone.
Cardinals Drop Jeremiyah Love Week 1 Hint with Latest Roster Cuts