Love's Ankle Is the Running Back Room's Last Real Question

James Conner is on injured reserve. Trey Benson was waived in August. Corey Kiner went to New England before the season started. What's left at running back is Jeremiyah Love — the No. 3 overall pick — and a depth chart behind him that has yet to log meaningful snaps. Tavien Feaster and Tyler Allgeier are listed there, but neither has produced at the NFL level in any measurable way this season.

Love's high-ankle sprain dates to the preseason, and that injury type tends to linger. High-ankle sprains don't heal on a schedule, and a rookie carrying the full weight of a position group is a different ask than a veteran who knows how to manage through it. Mike LaFleur expressed optimism before Week 1 that Love would be ready, but the situation bears watching now that the season has worn on and the running back room has only gotten thinner around him.

The broader context here is that Arizona ran the ball at a fraction of what a functional offense should last season. Adding a top-three pick at the position was supposed to begin fixing that. If Love can't stay healthy, there isn't a fallback plan — there's just the absence of one.