Expert tempers Cardinals fans expectations surrounding Jeremiyah Love in 2026

Breer on slowing down Love’s expectations for rookie year:

 “I think the easy answer is Jeremiyah Love. The Cardinals figure to build their offense around him, the running back position translates quickly from college to pro, and he’s a really, really good player. But I’d temper that just a bit in that I’d bet Arizona will try not to overuse him, with James Conner and Tyler Allgeier also in that backfield.

“So on offense, give me Love’s Notre Dame teammate, Jadarian Price, in Seattle, and Carnell Tate, who’s already turning heads in Tennessee. I think both will have a ton of opportunities and assimilate quickly, and those two elements are always key in rookie of the year races.”

The same issue arose for last year’s top selected running back in Las Vegas Raiders Ashton Jeanty, limiting his reps earlier in the season. Jeanty did finish the final three weeks averaging 22 attempts per game, which inflated his rushing numbers quite a bit. That same strategy could be used by the Cardinals to not overwork the running back they planned to be a cornerstone of the offense for the next decade.

It’ll be easy to not overwork the All-American because of how crowded the running back position is in Arizona. James Conner, Tyler Allgeier and Trey Benson are all on the roster for 2026, with one of them likely being traded or cut beforehand. Allgeier is coming from the Atlanta Falcons, where he played behind another All-Pro caliber running back in Bijan Robinson and has the same environment with new team.

Add in other factors like All-Pro tight end Trey McBride getting his much-deserved touches and wide receivers like Marvin Harrison Jr. and Michael Wilson, Love might not get the numbers many expect.