Cardinals’ Jeremiyah Love welcomes carries split with ultimate goal in mind

TEMPE — Arizona Cardinals running back Jeremiyah Love is going to get his as a rookie. That’s the expectation just about everyone has for the No. 3 overall draft pick.

That doesn’t mean there isn’t enough rock to go around, especially when it could be for the betterment of the offense and franchise.

 

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“Just being in the big leagues, like all the pressure is not going to be on me,” Love said Monday. “We got guys like (Marvin Harrison Jr. and Trey McBride) and we got a lot of guys in the running backs room as well.

“We can split some carries if need be. You don’t need just one guy going out there and getting 30 carries a game. We got 21 games this season potentially, so that’s not going to do too good in the long run.”

While fantasy football managers may cringe at the notion, splitting carries and keeping legs fresh is a good way to ease Love into the NFL life. Wearing out the rookie in an expected down season wouldn’t be the best look.

Love has about the best projected complement to share the backfield with, too, in Tyler Allgeier.

The productive veteran running back carved out a solid role as Atlanta’s RB2 behind Bijan Robinson after Allgeier ripped off a 1,000-yard season as a rookie.

The expectation is that Love reaches the Robinson tier. Having a back like Allgeier to help lighten the load can help with that.

And if for some reason it’s not Allgeier, James Conner offers up a great second option when healthy, followed by Trey Benson and Bam Knight.

Seeing a split in carries is bound to happen in the LaFleur-led (and just about every other) offense. Just last year in Los Angeles, Kyren Williams (55.6% of carries) and Blake Corum (31.1%) made up one of the tougher running back tandems in the league.

Yes, the Rams were led by NFL MVP Matthew Stafford, but the Rams’ run game certainly helped L.A. pace the league in total offense (394.6 yards per game).

There was still a primary ball carrier, but without so much wear and tear. The split also didn’t stop Williams from racking up more than 1,200 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground. He added 36 catches for 281 yards and three more scores.

It’s not just about the run game when it comes to Love, who is also expected to be a problem as a pass catcher.

It’s early, but rookie quarterback Carson Beck has already seen glimpses of playmaker Love in the passing game.

 

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As Mack Wilson Sr. said this offseason, Love looks like he’s already played at this level.

Whatever it is, Love just wants the opportunity to contribute to the team’s success. Everything else, the accolades and honors, will follow.

“I want to make sure that I do what I can for this team to have success,” Love said. “I want to make sure that we come together more as a team. I felt like last year’s team was together, but we can always just become more together and build a better culture. Then just personally for myself, I’ve learned throughout my time just playing football that personal goals aren’t going to get you really where you want to get to. It’s all about the team at the end of the day.

“As long as you do your part on the team, usually you’ll get the personal accolades and the personal goals that you have in your mind. In my mind, my goal for myself is to gel really well with this team and do whatever coach LaFleur wants me to do and just do it to the best of my ability.”

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