If the urge struck him, Tyler Allgeier would have had every right to chuck a brick through his television while watching the 2026 NFL Draft and seeing the Arizona Cardinals select Jeremiyah Love with the third overall pick.
It was just six weeks or so earlier, after all, that Allgeier left the Atlanta Falcons to sign a two-year contract as a free agent with the Cardinals. And now, Arizona was adding another running back near the top of the first round?
Don’t forget, Allgeier just escaped from the shadow of Bijan Robinson in Atlanta. Allgeier rushed for 1,000 yards as a rookie in 2022, and the following year, the Falcons used their first-round pick on Robinson, who quickly replaced him as the featured running back.
And now this?
Allgeier could have
easily blown his stack. And who could have blamed him?
Fortunately, Allgeier said, Cardinals first-year coach Mike LaFleur called him at some point during or after the first round of the draft to help explain the situation. Basically, his message, according to Allgeier: “We’re going to be a really good tandem. And I believe that.”
With running backs such as James Conner, Trey Benson and Bam Knight already on Arizona’s roster, were LaFleur’s mere words enough to appease Allgeier?
“I would say, yeah. Yeah. It wasn’t like, ‘Hey, we’re going to bench you now,’” Allgeier said Thursday, July 30, during his first interview session with reporters since Love was drafted. “It wasn’t that. It was really good communication from him, which I can respect. Head coaches or anyone doesn’t have to do that. So, for him to communicate that, yeah, it was good.
“I knew what I was getting into and shoot, we’re here now deep into camp and we’re splitting (time) and it’s just been great competition.”
Initially, it was difficult to tell whether Allgeier was being incredibly diplomatic or hiding his true inner thoughts. Eventually, however, you could tell he was being sincere when he explained how jealousy and anger are wasted emotions.
I especially believed him when he told us this:
“There’s no point in being a jerk about it. That’s not really going to get you anywhere. It’s not going to get you anywhere in life, in this business and this sport. I’m super humble anyway, and I grew with that just because, growing up as a kid, I’ve been overshadowed.
“But just having that underdog mentality and then just having that starter mentality as well, shoot, whenever that challenge comes, you’ve just got to execute and take advantage of the opportunity. That’s the biggest thing for me. It’s just a mindset, I think.”
Looking back on things, Allgeier said the Cardinals’ decision to draft Love was “good.” Love, the Heisman Trophy semifinalist from Notre Dame, is “another weapon to put on the offensive side,” he said, adding that Love brings great competition and even more depth to the franchise.
Allgeier spent the past three seasons in Atlanta learning how to share the wealth with Robinson, and that experience should only help him define and accept his role in Arizona along with Love, Conner, Benson and Knight.
“It’s not like there’s any bad blood or anything,” Allgeier said. “I think just building that relationship, we’re pretty close right now, too. So, we’re just building that relationship and just feeding off each other on and off the field. It’s been good.”
Of course it is. It’s not like Tyler Allgeier wanted to chuck a brick through his TV set while watching the first round of the draft or anything. Right?
“Shoot, it’s probably the best thing you can do,” Allgeier said of adding a prospect such as Love. “Obviously, it saves the body. It’s a lot less taxing and all that stuff. Everyone wants to prove that you’re able to have two or even three great guys in the room, being able to compete and being able to be a running back (by committee) and just having that rotation.
“I think you can see that around the league.”
The important thing is, Allgeier can see it and he’s fully accepted it.
Reach McManaman at bob.mcmanaman@arizonarepublic .Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @azbobbymac and listen to him live every Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. on Roc and Manuch with Jimmy B on ESPN 620 (KTAR-AM) and every Thursday on the Doug Franz Unplugged podcast via Apple or Spotify.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Tyler Allgeier didn't throw a brick when Cardinals took Love | Opinion
