Cardinals RB Jeremiyah Love dealing with high ankle sprain after preseason debut

The Arizona Cardinals’ early preseason storyline around rookie running back Jeremiyah Love has shifted from opportunity to recovery. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Love suffered a high ankle sprain in the span of his preseason work and will likely miss the rest of the preseason slate, even though the team is still hoping he can return in time for the regular-season opener.

Love’s setback comes after a promising first showing in the Cardinals’ preseason debut against the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday. Pro Football Rumors characterized his performance as impressive, which matters because Arizona is using the exhibition period to evaluate playmaking roles for new contributors while ironing out the backfield picture.

A high ankle sprain is a particularly tricky injury for football players because it can affect stride length, change of direction, and the ability to accelerate through cuts. Even when there is optimism about a timely return, teams often treat this type of injury conservatively, especially for running backs who rely on consistent lower-body mechanics.

From a team-building standpoint, the Cardinals will now have to plan around an absence that is expected to last through at least the remainder of the preseason. That can influence how much opportunity backup running backs get with the first or second units, and it can also change the way Arizona uses the run-pass balance with different personnel groupings as it tries to avoid overexposure of depth players.

The injury also places a spotlight on the depth chart’s readiness for Week 1. While a rookie’s immediate timeline is never guaranteed, the prospect of Love being available sooner than later is exactly the kind of pressure point NFL teams monitor in late August. If the Cardinals’ hope for a regular-season return is realized, Arizona gets a potential boost to its offensive versatility; if it is delayed, the coaching staff will be forced to lean harder on whatever roles its healthy backs have earned in September practice and limited preseason reps.

For Love, the priority will be whether his ankle can handle the demands of full-speed running and cutting without lingering limitations. With each additional preseason week he misses, there is less live-game evidence to evaluate his conditioning under contact and his timing in the Cardinals’ playbook, even as the regular season offers more meaningful reps.

As the Cardinals move through the rest of the preseason, the key questions will be whether Arizona’s backfield rotations stabilize in Love’s absence and how quickly they can confirm that he is trending toward a Week 1 return. Even if no timeline gets locked in, the next couple of weeks should clarify how aggressive the team can be with his workload.