Just how rare was Jeremiyah Love’s preseason workload? And is it really a big deal?

TEMPE — A lot has been made about Arizona Cardinals rookie running back Jeremiyah Love’s preseason debut.

And no, I’m not talking about his hurdle, spin move and overall shiftiness that was on display.

Instead, there’s been plenty of chatter surrounding the rookie’s usage in a game that doesn’t count in the record book.

It has only grown with Love’s high ankle sprain from the tilt that have many concerned about his Week 1 status and wondering why first-year head coach Mike LaFleur decided on that amount of touches to begin with.

For those wondering why Jeremiyah Love saw 14 preseason touches last week, Mike LaFleur said it came down to two things:

– The RB’s rookie status
– LaFleur’s preseason plan for the starters pic.twitter.com/l5Ia6d5l3P

— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) August 16, 2026

It’s a true damned if you do, damned if you don’t moment.

On one end, getting Love or any rookie added reps is key in their development and preparedness for when the games actually count.

Had Love not been injured, no one would have batted an eye at his usage quite like they are now. After all, it was an impressive showing where Love did a little bit of everything in a limited sample size.

It also sounds like the rookie wasn’t expected to get much, if any, more preseason snaps the rest of the way, injured or not.

Because he suffered the ankle sprain — that occurred on a hip-drop tackle — his less than a half of work feels even more scrutinized.

On the other end, Love not playing a lick of the preseason and going down with a similar injury in the first week of the regular season would have had fans up in arms about him not getting any exhibition work beforehand.

Like it or not, injuries are unfortunately a part of the game.

But just how rare was Love’s preseason workload compared to other notable first-round running backs? And does LaFleur really deserve the flak?

Let’s get right to it.

How Jeremiyah Love’s preseason snaps compare to other 1st-round running backs

When looking back at some of the biggest names to come out of the first round, not many put up the same kind of preseason workload that Love did last week.

Saquon Barkley saw four preseason touches as a rookie in 2018. He played one game.

Same with Josh Jacobs the year prior. Again, just one game played.

Bijan Robinson in 2023 saw five carries and a reception in a game of work.

Jahmyr Gibbs, however, saw eight touches (seven carries and one catch) in his lone preseason appearance in 2023.

2025 first-rounder Ashton Jeanty saw 13 touches (11 carries and one catch) in three preseason games last year.

But none — not even Love’s sample size — top Christian McCaffrey’s workload in 2017.

Logging 17 carries and three catches (five targets) across three exhibition games for the Carolina Panthers, the No. 8 overall pick got plenty of run.

Fourteen touches is more than the typical handful of preseason plays effective first-round running backs have seen in recent memory. It’s also been done in the past.

McCaffrey’s career has turned out just fine, save for some injured reserve stints. Those, however, weren’t a byproduct of him getting extra preseason run.

If anything, this is just a slight speed bump at the start of Love’s NFL travels.

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