Nearly four months after the Arizona Cardinals made him the third overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, Jeremiyah Love finally got a chance to make his unofficial debut on Thursday night.
Considering he’s a prized rookie, Love saw more touches than most anticipated. Unfortunately, he also emerged from the game with an injury.
Jeremiyah Love’s Injury: What Happened to the Cardinals Sensation?
Cardinals fans have a right to be excited about what they saw from the 21-year-old rookie in his preseason debut. Love dazzled spectators with a series of spins, jukes, and even a hurdle.
In all, Love racked up 14 touches (11 carries for 58 yards, three receptions for 14 yards). Yet, the rookie also suffered an ankle injury.
While the panic was immediate, head coach Mike LaFleur “does not think it’s serious.”
Jeremiyah Love has an ankle injury but LaFleur does not think it’s serious.
— Darren Urban (@Cardschatter) August 14, 2026
Cardinals fans were quick to pen their thoughts as news of the injury came to light.
Dr. Jesse Morse chimed in with his take on X, noting that Love may be dealing with a “mild lateral sprain.” Morse added that there should be “no concerns” about Love’s outlook.
“Sounds like a mild lateral ankle sprain for Jeremiyah Love. No concerns.”
Sounds like a mild lateral ankle sprain for Jeremiyah Love
No concerns. https://t.co/bzNAU7Eq11
— Jesse Morse, M.D. (@DrJesseMorse) August 14, 2026
Of course, it didn’t take long for the criticism to pour in either. One fan pointed to Love’s four-year, $53 million contract, suggesting that Love never should have been ridden so hard in his first-ever NFL game.
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“Yeah, let’s keep work-horsing our $50m rookie RB in preseason. Smart.”
Yeah let’s keep work horsing our $50m rookie rb in preseason. Smart
— Simply (@simply69111) August 14, 2026
Another said they noticed Love’s foot get “twisted up” and questioned why the Cardinals kept putting him back on the field.
“I saw his foot get twisted up, idk why they played him so much.”
Another spectator couldn’t believe the Cardinals’ injury luck, questioning the team’s mentality for putting him in harm’s way during exhibition matches.
“You’ve gotta be kidding me? What are we thinking?” he wrote.
Whatever the injury, the Cardinals hope their star rookie running back won’t be sidelined long, if at all. As Pro Football Network’s Ian Cummings stated, Love is already being seen as an “instant sensation.”
“He’s already an instant sensation.” 🫶@IC_Draft breaks down the promising early returns from Cardinals RB Jeremiyah Love 👇 pic.twitter.com/mxNJRIyQVR
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) August 14, 2026
Love will have to fend off competition from free-agent addition Tyler Allgeier, but this was just his first preseason game. He has plenty of time to continue climbing, but he’ll have to be healthy to leap ahead of Allgeier and become RB1 in Arizona.
