Jeremiyah Love takes first carry at scrimmage

Regarding running backs who play “all 65 snaps,” LaFleur says that he has “seen that story when guys are a little bit overloaded,” it hurts them either in the short- or long-term. Fortunately for all involved, not even 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey plays on 100 percent of snaps. He handled 81.6 percent last year, which is extremely high. This is a bit of a straw man argument from LaFleur, who ultimately concluded his comments by saying he wants to keep his running backs fresh and healthy for 17 games. That makes sense, but when a player is taken with the No. 3 overall pick, like RB Jeremiyah Love, we should expect them to eventually settle into a workload in which they are playing on a comfortable majority of snaps. The Cardinals’ coaching staff is seemingly intent on keeping Love’s ADP in check. We’ll take it.

Per Weinfuss, through eight days of training camp, veteran RB Tyler Allgeier “has been getting the majority of the carries with the first team, with Love getting the rest.” This should, helpfully, keep Love’s ADP somewhat suppressed. It is a worthwhile buying opportunity. The No. 3 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft should be expected to take over as the starter in-season at the latest. Allgeier will be worth stashing on benches. The team does trust him.

The Cardinals began training camp very early, with both rookies and veterans reporting on July 22nd. Rookie RB Jeremiyah Love is the only other Cardinals back to take first-team reps. Should we now view Allgeier as the season-long lead back? No. Allgeier may end up having standalone value early in the year, but the team drafted Love to be their star. It would even be unsurprising to see Allgeier split first-team snaps 50-50 with Love before the season starts.

The four running backs are Jeremiyah Love, Tyler Allgeier, James Conner, Trey Benson. Given the recent draft capital and financial investments in Love and Allgeier, those two are obviously locks to make the final squad. Conner, 31, and Benson, 24, seem like reasonable trade candidates. Both players’ seasons ended prematurely due to injury. Conner has one year left on his deal. Benson has two. Love should take over the starting role soon enough, but perhaps the RB2 battle could take a while to sort through. Weinfuss believes “Conner and Benson won’t roll over easily and give their jobs away.” If they do indeed keep four running backs, and one player were to miss time, this might make for a tough waiver wire read.

Reiman is expected to be an “important cog in the offense” this year, as a reliable blocker in the run game. Per Cardinals team reporter Darren Urban, LaFleur has, unprompted, mentioned Reiman multiple times this offseason. LaFleur told Urban that he had a lot of respect for Reiman as a prospect and was excited to inherit Reiman when he accepted the Cardinals’ head coaching vacancy this offseason. Reiman’s expected return is good news for both RB Jeremiyah Love and TE Trey McBride. He will provide extra help in the run game while fully freeing up McBride in play action. That said, it does not sound like Reiman will be fantasy-relevant at all this year.

Love’s contract is worth a rookie record $53.9 million in guaranteed money. The Notre Dame product was taken No. 3 overall by the Cardinals in this year’s draft and is expected to see plenty of work early on despite playing in a crowded backfield that presently includes Tyler Allgeier, James Conner, and Trey Benson. As far as fantasy is concerned, Love’s rookie season will be a tough one to project, given the current state of the roster and the team’s backfield. That said, he’s a three-down back who can contribute on any down and distance and should see enough work to carry fantasy value — especially in the passing game. The threat of Allgeier vulturing goal-line touches, however, could put a hard cap on his fantasy value in 2026.

After playing behind Bijan Robinson in Atlanta for the past few years, Allgeier signed a two-year deal with Arizona worth $12.25 million this offseason, hoping to function as the lead back. There’s vanishingly little chance of that coming to pass after the Cardinals used the third overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft on Notre Dam RB Jeremiyah Love. “The Cardinals went ahead of took [Love] I think to the surprise and disappointment of Tyler Allgeier,” Schefter said. Arizona’s backfield is shaping up to be messy for fantasy purposes. James Conner is still in the mix, and with the big-bodied Allgeier profiling as a solid short yardage and goal line option, it remains to be seen how big Love’s role will be. Love, at worst, should get much or all of the backfield’s pass-catching involvement in 2026.

Love will enter a crowded backfield alongside trusted veteran James Conner and free agent signing Tyler Allgeier. Love’s draft capital and his standout ability will give him a good shot at taking on lead back duties to start the 2026 season, though Allgeier and Conner will be involved. Love will be running behind one of the NFL’s worst offensive lines. A two-year starter for the Fighting Irish, 21-year-old (in May) Love (6’0/212) was without peer in this year’s running back draft class. Totaling 40 touchdowns in 28 games over the past two seasons, Love’s explosiveness is unmatched. His 52.9 percent breakaway rate in 2025 ranked No. 1 in the power four conferences, while his average 4.50 yards after contact trailed only one player nationally. Those fancy stats underscore a rare blend of vision, burst and contact balance. Although Love is indeed a home run hitter, he’s also a complete offensive weapon. His final year in South Bend saw him add to his ground statistics with 27 receptions for 280 yards and three scores, posting a superb 1.83 yards per route run. It was production that stressed linebackers in space. Love’s overall elusiveness spike from 2024 to 2025 reflects a runner who not only dodges the first hit but finishes with authority, combining lateral twitch with downhill violence.

That assumes the Cardinals remain in the three spot on Thursday night. The team has reportedly tried for weeks to deal the pick and had no luck finding viable suitors, thanks in part to the weakness of the 2026 draft class. Love, who had 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns in his final season at Notre Dame, has been linked to several teams, including Arizona, Tennessee, Washington, and the Giants, all of whom have premium first round picks. Love would enter a backfield alongside veteran James Conner and big-bodied RB Tyler Allgeier, who signed with the Cards this offseason after four years with the Falcons. Though Love would function as the team’s lead back, Allgeier and Conner would certainly be involved in the team’s rushing attack in 2026.

“Love is an explosive play waiting to happen and would unlock multiple layers of the playbook that Washington couldn’t access last season,” Reid said, projecting the Commanders to take the former Notre Dame running back with the seventh pick of the 2026 draft. Washington in 2025 ranked 11th in rush EPA, just below the 49ers, and tenth in rushing success rate, in line with the run-heavy Packers. Love in 2025 had 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns and had 39 runs of 10 or more yards, trailing only three collegiate backs. Washington was one of the run heaviest teams in the NFL last season, ranking 28th in early down neutral pass rate.