Jeremiyah Love Injury Updated Provided by Cardinals HC, Latest on RB's Status for Week 1

Jeremiyah Love's status for Week 1 is still up in the air.

Arizona Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur was noncommittal when asked about the running back's availability for the season opener amid an ankle injury.

"Confident that he's progressing really well," LaFleur said. "He's taken another step. Took another step yesterday. He'll take another step today."

Love suffered a high ankle sprain earlier this month and was forced to miss the final two preseason games. He was solid in his sole preseason contest, rushing for 57 yards on 11 attempts against the Las Vegas Raiders.

The good news is that Love's injury didn't need surgery, which would have been a major setback to start his rookie season.

The Cardinals drafted Love third overall in April, making him the highest-drafted running back since Saquon Barkley was taken second overall by the New York Giants in 2018.

It wasn't much of a surprise to see Love taken so early. In his final season at Notre Dame, he rushed for 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns, adding 280 yards and three touchdowns through the air.

Arizona is looking to Love to provide a spark in the backfield, but the first order of business is getting him healthy.

If Love isn't ready to go for next Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Chargers, the majority of the touches will presumably go to Tyler Allgeier, who rushed for 514 yards and eight touchdowns with the Atlanta Falcons last year.

The Cardinals had one of the worst rushing attacks in the NFL last year, mustering just 93.1 yards per game, the second-worst mark in the league. A standout year from Love wouldn't solve all of their issues, but it would address a major point of emphasis as the team continues its rebuild.