Arizona Cardinals rookie running back Jeremiyah Love has been placed on injured reserve and is expected to miss the next 4-5 weeks as he recovers from a high ankle sprain. While Love has dealt with recurring ankle issues throughout training camp and in the early part of the season, the Cardinals insist that the previous injuries are not related to this most recent one.
The former Notre Dame standout limped off the field on Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys and could be seen slamming his helmet in frustration in the first half. Arizona’s medical staff evaluated him in the blue tent before ultimately pulling him from the game.
In his absence, veteran RB Tyler Allgeier took over the bulk of the backfield duties, amassing 147 yards on the ground with a touchdown, and another 44 yards through the air with a receiving TD in the process.
Fellow running back Bam Knight is also on the mend as he works his way through the NFL’s concussion protocol, leaving the Cardinals precariously thing at the position all of a sudden. Evan Hull will likely spell Allgeier for the time being, but the club will likely either elevate a player off their practice squad, or perhaps even dip their toe into the free agent market to help reinforce the running back room.
It’s been an uneven season for Love since being selected 3rd overall in this spring’s NFL Draft. Across 6 contests he’s rushed for 268 yards and 1 TD on the ground, while adding another 11 receptions for 36 yards through the air. With just 3.5 yards per attempt, it’s been clear that the dynamic rookie has been limited by his nagging ankle injuries to date.
Love’s existing issues with his ankles, coupled with his new tweak suffered vs. Dallas likely played a large factor in the team deciding to shut him down for a few weeks to try to get back to full health before the end of the season. Despite the win on the weekend, Arizona remains in the basement of the NFC West at 3-5.
While the team would love to see the on field play continue to take steps forward, in all likelihood, the club is looking at another top draft pick at season’s end. As such, they aren’t overly incentivized to try to rush Love back into action when they have his long term health to consider in what will probably go down as another lost season.
Arizona will now turn their attention to their November 8th divisional showdown against the Seattle Seahawks. Kickoff is slated for 4:25pm ET.
Photo: John Martinez Pavliga. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.