Jeremiyah Love Diagnosed With High Ankle Sprain

Cardinals rookie running back Jeremiyah Love is expected to miss the remainder of the preseason after suffering a high ankle sprain during his NFL debut.

Love suffered the injury Thursday night against the Raiders after being brought down on what appeared to be a hip-drop tackle, a tackling move the NFL banned in 2024.

Despite the injury, Love initially appeared to be fine.

Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur said after the game that Love “could have returned if we needed him to, so he’s fine.”

Love’s ankle became more sore in the following days, however, leading Arizona to shut him down for the week.

Further testing has now revealed a high ankle sprain, according to Adam Schefter.

Love is unlikely to play again this preseason, with the Cardinals hoping the No. 3 overall pick can recover in time for their Week 1 matchup against the Chargers.

Love received 14 touches against the Raiders and finished with:

🔶 11 carries
🔶 58 rushing yards
🔶 5.3 yards per carry
🔶 3 receptions
🔶 15 receiving yards

The Cardinals selected Love with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, making him the earliest running back selected since Saquon Barkley went No. 2 overall in 2018.

Arizona already has veteran James Conner and offseason addition Tyler Allgeier in its backfield, but the team also worked out multiple running backs following Love’s injury.

For now, the focus will be on getting Love healthy for the regular season.