Cardinals hopeful RB Jeremiyah Love can play vs. Chargers in Week 1 after preseason ankle injury

A decision hasn't been made just yet, but the Arizona Cardinals are hopeful that new running back Jeremiyah Love will be able to take the field on Sunday afternoon in Los Angeles.

Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur said Monday he's optimistic that Love, who went down with a high ankle sprain earlier in the preseason , will be able to play in their season opener against the Chargers. Love was "moving around" during the team's walkthrough on Monday and is progressing, though the team won't issue their first injury report until Wednesday.

"I feel good [about his chances]," LaFleur said, via ESPN .

Love went down with an ankle sprain during their preseason win over the Las Vegas Raiders after he made a catch near the goal line and was brought down to the field awkwardly. Love ended up playing 23 snaps in that game, and had 58 rushing yards on 11 carries before he was injured.

The Cardinals selected Love with the No. 3 overall pick in the draft earlier this year out of Notre Dame. He had 1,372 rushing yards and 21 total touchdowns in his final season with the Fighting Irish, and he finished in third in the Heisman Trophy race.

The Cardinals went 3-14 last season. They kept three running backs on their 53-man roster, including Tyler Allgeier and Bam Knight. They'll open the 2026 campaign against the Chargers at SoFi Stadium on Sunday afternoon (4:25 p.m. ET, CBS).

While it's unclear if Love will be able to make his NFL debut as scheduled, it doesn't sound like a return is far off.