Love's Ankle Puts Arizona's Backfield Plan on Hold

Jeremiyah Love played 23 snaps against the Raiders, went down late with a high-ankle sprain, and is now expected to miss the rest of the preseason. Week 1 status is uncertain. That's the short version. The longer version is that the Cardinals used the third overall pick to solve a running back room that had no viable answer behind James Conner, and now that pick is watching from the sideline before the regular season begins.

Conner is 31 and listed questionable heading into Week 1. The depth chart behind him — Tavien Feaster, Tyler Allgeier — has logged essentially no meaningful playing time. There is no safety net here. The analyst piece that ran earlier this week made the Conner age point clearly enough; Love's injury just made it more urgent and more concrete.

The decision to play Love for 23 snaps in a preseason game is already drawing scrutiny, and that's fair. High-ankle sprains are not minor. They linger. The Cardinals are reportedly hopeful he can play in Week 1, which is the right thing to say in late August, but hopeful is not the same as ready. If Love misses the opener, Arizona goes into the season with a 31-year-old questionable starter and a backfield that has no established fallback. That's where things stand right now.