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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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The Arizona Cardinals enter 2026 under a new regime with first-time head coach Mike LaFleur, who arrives after three seasons as offensive coordinator of the high-powered Los Angeles Rams.
There's legitimate reason for optimism, albeit cautious, for a team still clearly in rebuild mode, competing in arguably the toughest conference in the NFL. But much of that hope has hinged on the status of the Cardinals' first-round pick, running back Jeremiyah Love, who went down with a high ankle sprain early in the preseason.
While concern has lingered for weeks, on Friday, just 48 hours before Arizona's season opener against the Los Angeles Chargers, LaFleur delivered some encouraging news on Love, saying he's "trending well" for Sunday's game.
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Any running back suffering a high ankle sprain that close to Week 1 is a scary proposition. It's the kind of injury that can take weeks, if not months, to fully heal, and for a player as explosive as Love, the concern was obvious.
Reports had been positive for a while now, though, and while it was initially believed he could miss at least the first few weeks of the regular season, things took a turn this week when Love returned to full practice. With LaFleur now reinforcing his status for Sunday, it looks increasingly like the injury is behind him, and he'll be ready to make an impact right away.
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The Cardinals had previously listed Tyler Allgeier as the RB1 on the depth chart, with Love slotted behind him. Given that Love is a rookie coming off a serious injury just a month ago, the team may be cautious about handing him a full workload right away. But he's also the most explosive weapon on the offense, and one the organization used the third overall pick on in April's draft. Even if he's on a snap count Sunday, his breakaway speed and home-run ability will make him a threat.
Sunday's game kicks off at 4:25 p.m. ET at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
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