The Arizona Cardinals almost certainly knew they'd be in for a long season. After all, 2026 is the first year under head coach Mike LaFleur, and the quarterback of the future likely isn't on the current roster. Even with occasional bright spots and surprise wins, those factors probably made this a rebuilding campaign by default. Still, you'd hope the Cardinals' potential young franchise players would be healthy and available to play as much as possible.
That will not be the case with rookie running back Jeremiyah Love on Sunday as the Cardinals play host to the visiting Denver Broncos. Love will not play against the Broncos due to a lingering ankle injury. It appears the Cardinals want to be as cautious as possible without rushing back a player
they expect to be the long-term bell cow of their offense.
That's good news for the Cardinals' future and terrible for their present as they try to solve a formidable Broncos defense without Love on Sunday:
#AZCardinals RB Jeremiyah Love (ankle) trying to get right after a high-ankle sprain, will miss another game this week. He's been ruled out by coach Mike LaFleur.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 23, 2026
Love officially hasn't played since an October 11th loss to the Detroit Lions. It's unclear exactly when he will return at the time of this writing, but a road date with the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, November 1st, might be a good bet given a roughly three-week recovery timeline. If not then, a game against the Seattle Seahawks the following week would probably feel even safer. I don't expect Love's absence to be much longer, regardless, unless his injury is more serious than the Cardinals are letting on.
Who is Jeremiyah Love's backup on the Cardinals?
Tyler Allgeier is listed as Love's backup on the Cardinals' depth chart. The veteran Allgeier is in his first season with the Cardinals after spending the last four years with the Atlanta Falcons.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: When will Jeremiyah Love return to the Cardinals?
