The Arizona Cardinals may have invested the No. 3 overall pick in Jeremiyah Love this spring, but their running back competition is not an open-and-shut case — not even close. In each of their 11-on-11 sessions in training camp, Tyler Allgeier has taken the first snaps with the starting offense.
One sequence on Wednesday, July 29, felt emblematic. It was Love’s second snap of the day, and he whiffed on picking up a blitz in pass protection, causing the play to be whistled dead for a sack. Allgeier replaced him on the next play, and Love didn’t return to the field with the starters until two drives later.
These are all normal parts of the rookie learning curve. Typically, the two biggest hurdles for those backs are in pass protection and in picking
the correct rushing lanes.
But the Cardinals are in a unique position, having acquired Tyler Allgeier as a veteran option in free agency before drafting Love. They do not need to force Love onto the field as he acclimates to the league.
And, indeed, on Wednesday, Allgeier led the Cardinals’ first-team offense in carries, with 10 to Love’s four — the widest margin of camp.
Plus, that’s with James Conner still limited to individual work as he returns from a foot injury. Last week, offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett went out of his way to praise Conner, saying he is “excited for James to get out there and show what he’s got.” That could further cut into Love’s workload early on.
When Love is on the field, though, it’s hard to ignore his explosiveness. He broke off one impressive big run with the second-team offense, bursting through a small crack in the defensive line. The challenge is simply getting himself in those positions.
Offensive line struggles continue
If there’s an overarching trend early in training camp, it’s this: The Cardinals pass catchers have generally gotten the better of their secondary, finding open space downfield as Mike LaFleur works to install his offensive scheme. But up front, the defense has had the clear edge.
Defensive end Darius Robinson and edge rusher Eku Leota have been among the more productive pass rushers, creating consistent issues for both Gardner Minshew and Jacoby Brissett. On the other side, Elijah Wilkinson has struggled to protect the quarterback at right tackle, while both starting guards (Isaac Seumalo and Isaiah Adams) have had occasional issues.
On Wednesday, that trend was amplified because of penalties, as the offensive line was repeatedly whistled for false starts. When he was hired, LaFleur preached the importance of having a clean pre-snap operation. But with the offensive line enduring growing pains, that hasn’t yet come to fruition.
Another mixed day for Marvin Harrison Jr.
One day after making headlines with an ugly drop, Harrison was once again Brissett’s preferred receiver, seeing five targets.
On some of those, he found significant space over the middle of the field, including with a nice deep curl route against Will Johnson. That’s been a common trend in camp, as LaFleur’s scheme has benefitted this wide receiver corps.
At the end of the day, though, Harrison had just two catches on his five targets. One of those was uncatchable, but the other two hit him in the hands. On one, he failed to haul in a diving attempt after a nice double move. On the other, he couldn’t complete a contested catch over the middle. Both would have been impressive grabs, but they’re plays that Harrison will want to make.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Growing pains for RB Jeremiyah Love at Arizona Cardinals camp
