The Arizona Cardinals' rookies will have a strong impact on their offense in 2026, per ESPN.
In ESPN's "2026 NFL rookies guide: Stat leaders, fantasy picks, top QBs" piece that dropped on Saturday, Sept. 5, rookie running back Jeremiyah Love was listed atop ESPN writer Jordan Reid's top offensive rookie of the year candidates. After Saquon Barkley was drafted second overall in the 2018 NFL Draft by the New York Giants, no running back had been drafted within the first five picks until Love was selected third overall by the Cardinals in 2026.
"That obviously gives him high expectations, but he could meet them as the focal point of new coach Mike LaFleur's offense in Arizona," Reid wrote. "Love will not only contribute as a rusher but also as a pass
catcher, where he can routinely take advantage of mismatches."
Love was a top-three Heisman finalist at Notre Dame in 2025, where he ran for 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns, plus 280 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns.
Love sprained an ankle in his first taste of preseason action, but ESPN is still high on the workload they expect from him. They list him as No. 1 on ESPN fantasy football analyst Eric "Moody's top fantasy rookies" list.
"(Love) can play all three downs and is projected for 18.7 touches per game," Moody wrote. "In a league full of committees, that kind of workload keeps Love firmly on the RB1 radar."
Out of the ESPN fantasy analysts who came together to create the fantasy football 2026 rankings, Moody had Love the lowest on the running back rankings at No. 14. Even he has "Love firmly on the RB1 radar," and multiple of the other analysts have him within their top 10 running backs.
As for another injured Cardinals offensive rookie, quarterback Carson Beck, ESPN writer Dan Graziano "could see Beck getting some December starts."
The Cardinals have 12 games before December, so the jury could be out on Beck for a long time. Graziano noted that he is third on Arizona's QB depth chart, behind veteran journeymen Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew.
Brissett averaged seven adjusted yards per pass attempt in 2025 during a season where he started 12 games with the Cardinals, and Minshew has a Pro Bowl selection on his resume. Third-round rookie Beck was expected to be behind them on the Week 1 depth chart.
Brissett went 1-11 as a starter with the Cardinals in 2025 and Minshew is 3-9 in his last 12 starts. New head coach Mike LaFleur may want to test Beck's ceiling, as Beck was selected with a higher draft pick (No. 65 overall) than both Brissett (No. 91 overall) and Minshew (No. 178 overall).
The Cardinals' first four 2026 draft picks were spent on players who each missed multiple preseason games. Receiving significant contributions from Love and Beck would finally be a positive development for them on the rookie front.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Notable Cardinals rookies with different timelines for roles, per ESPN
