Thursday's Hall of Fame Game between the Arizona Cardinals
and Carolina Panthers is the unofficial start of the pro football season. Sure, it's not a real game, it doesn't factor into any standings anyone cares about, and most of the guys you'll see playing throughout the night in Canton, Ohio probably won't receive much meaningful playing time come the regular season, but it still counts as football action! (Well, sort of.)Unfortunately for anyone hoping to see one of the brightest stars from the 2026 rookie class, he will actually be one of the players sitting out Thursday's matchup. I'm referring to Cardinals rookie running back Jeremiyah Love, the No. 3 overall pick in April's draft, of course.
The bad news is that we don't get to see an
awesome talent like Love shine. The good news is that it's just preseason and his absence has nothing to do with any injury. He is seemingly only sitting out because the Cardinals already consider him a key incremental player who has nothing to gain with likely only a few snaps in an exhibition game.
After all, Love is already Arizona's starting running back. And starters don't play on nights like this:
#AZCardinals coach Mike LaFleur says at a pre-practice press conference today RB Jeremiyah Love will not play Thursday.
— Darren Urban (@Cardschatter) August 5, 2026
I wouldn't bet on Love sitting out the entire preseason, though. In fact, seeing Love play in some capacity against the Las Vegas Raiders on August 13th is probably a safe bet. It's a shame that we'll have to wait a bit longer, is all.
Who is Jeremiyah Love's backup on the Cardinals?
Tyler Allgeier is listed as Love's backup on the Cardinals' depth chart at the time of this writing. It is Allgeier's first season in Arizona after spending four years with the Atlanta Falcons.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Why isn't Jeremiyah Love playing for Cardinals in Hall of Fame Game?
