For obvious reasons, the Arizona Cardinals running backs room has garnered a significant amount of interest and discussion in the first two weeks of training camp.
It’s to be expected.
After a brutal 2025 season in which James Conner and Trey Benson managed to play only a combined seven games, Michael Carter finished the year as the team’s leading rusher with a total of 333 yards, followed by Emari Demercado with 312 and Bam Knight with 269.
Carter and Demercado moved on to other team, while Conner (with a pay cut), Benson and Knight returned. Tyler Allgeier was signed as an unrestricted free agent in March and six weeks later Jeremiyah Love was selected with the third overall pick in the draft.
Allgeier revealed earlier this week that head coach
Mike LaFleur told him about the team’s plans in advance and LaFleur said Friday he also spoke with Conner.
Asked specifically about informing Allgeier, LaFleur said, “Just try not to catch these guys off guard. When you have guys like Tyler who are the exact pros that you want in your building, you owe it to them to just communicate. Where communication lacks, negativity fills the void. Not necessarily with him, but just in general. Not just in football, in life in general. So being able to just make sure that he knew where we stood as an organization.
“I didn't just talk to him, (I) talked to James Conner as well, just to give them a heads-up and keep it moving.”
When then asked how he envisioned sharing snaps during the season, LaFleur said, “September 13th is such a far ways away, but I do know this: Not one running back can take all 65 snaps. We've seen that story when guys are a little bit overloaded and whether it hurts them in one year, I think over time; one year, two years, or whatever the split is, be able to, one, keep them fresh throughout that game, but two, keep them as healthy as they can for 17 games is the appropriate way to go.”
The comment about 65 snaps was met with surprise by some, but it’s the way of the world in the NFL and LaFleur wasn’t exactly providing any state secrets.
Among the top 10 rushers in the league last season, only three averaged more than 50 percent of the game snaps and the player with the most was San Francisco’s Christian McCaffrey with 54.8. With LaFleur coaching the Los Angeles Rams last season, leading rusher Kyren Williams averaged 45.4 percent per game.
Here’s a look at that top 10:
- James Cook, Bills: 1,621 yards, 639 snaps (56%), 37.6 snaps per game
- Derrick Henry, Ravens: 1,595 yards, 556 snaps (55%), 32.7 snaps per game
- Jonathan Taylor, Colts: 1,585 yards, 883 snaps (82%), 51.9 snaps per game
- Bijan Robinson, Falcons: 1,478 yards, 860 snaps (79%), 50.6 snaps per game
- *De’Von Achane, Dolphins: 1,350 yards, 697 snaps (75%), 43.6 snaps per game
- Kyren Williams, Rams: 1,252 yards, 772 snaps (68%), 45.4 snaps per game
- Jahmyr Gibbs, Lions: 1,223 yards, 737 snaps (67%), 46.0 snaps per game
- Christian McCaffrey, 49ers: 1,202 yards, 932 snaps (83%), 54.8 snaps per game
- *Javonte Williams, Cowboys: 1,201 yards, 769 snaps (68%), 43.4 snaps per game
- *Saquon Barkley, Eagles: 1,140 yards, 773 snaps (78%), 48.3 snaps per game
*Played 16 games; all others played 17
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This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: Why Jeremiyah Love won't play all the snaps and get all the carries
