What the ‘perfect world’ for the Cardinals’ run game could look like

TEMPE — To Arizona Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur, one of the coolest words in football is “depth.”

There’s plenty of that in Arizona’s running backs room. Adding Jeremiyah Love and Tyler Allgeier to a unit that also includes James Conner, Trey Benson and Bam Knight will have that effect.

“That’s a good thing right now,” LaFleur said on the last day of minicamp. “Unfortunately, in a running backs room — hopefully not this year — there is an attrition there at times because of the pounding those guys take. You want to be able to divvy that thing up. If we can split it up, keep it fresh, have a third-down back — we’re not at that point — but that’s the perfect world. We’ll see what the best thing is going into September.

“With that being said, just like if Steph Curry is on fire and he’s supposed to get his sub, you’re not taking the hot hand out. That’s kind of the same approach you end up taking with a back. Just like a basketball player, any football player can get into a rhythm.”

The possibilities of what Arizona’s run game can become are plentiful. Riding the hot hand is understandable, and keeping roles up for grabs is good for competition.

But when it comes down to the Cardinals’ 2026 outlook, Arizona doesn’t need to overthink it.

Heading to Arizona as the No. 3 pick instantly shot Love up the depth chart — not only because of where he was taken but due to the hefty price tag attached. No other running back in the league is making more guaranteed money than Love ($53 million), and it’s not relatively close.

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley ($36 million) is second to Love by $17 million and change.

RB usage and trends from previous Mike LaFleur-led offenses

Every team is constructed differently. That doesn’t mean we can’t pull back the curtain on LaFleur’s previous two coordinator jobs in Los Angeles and New York to get a look at how he utilized his running backs room.

LaFleur has five seasons of tape to fall back on as a coordinator, with each being slightly different in terms of how he split carries among the running backs rooms.

Just last year, Kyren Williams had a 55.6% split (259 rushes) of the Rams’ total carries, compared to RB2 Blake Corum at 31.1% (145). Williams also reeled in 36 catches to Corum’s eight. Both thrived in their respective roles, with Williams posting 1,252 yards and 10 touchdowns, while Corum added 746 yards and six scores.

No other Rams running back had more than nine carries.

L.A.’s run game finished seventh in the league last year, the best for a LaFleur-led offense. That’s going to be a stat to remember moving forward.

In 2024, however, that split was much more in Williams’ favor at 70% to 12%. Part of that had to do with Corum’s rookie status and that Williams was already established. The split in receptions was similar to last year, too, with Williams recording 34 catches to Corum’s seven.

The veteran feasted in the role behind 1,299 yards and 14 touchdowns, though the Rams’ rushing attack was in the bottom 10 in the league.

In LaFleur’s first year on the job in 2023, Williams saw a 47.8% split (228 carries), though he only appeared in 12 games due to an ankle injury. Royce Freeman at 16.1% (77) and Darrell Henderson Jr. at 9.6% (46) followed.

Obviously, Rams head coach Sean McVay was largely running the offense — similar to what LaFleur is doing in Arizona — but LaFleur still had his pulse on the unit.

Then there is LaFleur’s Jets tenure littered with running back committees.

In 2021, Michael Carter paced New York’s run game at 38.7% (147 rushes). Tevin Coleman at 22.1% (84) and Ty Johnson at 16% (61) were next in line. From a receiving standpoint, Carter (36 catches) and Johnson (34) had a nearly even split. Coleman had 11.

The result was the sixth-worst rushing attack in the NFL.

The following season featured another three-headed run game. Carter was the lead back at 28.1% (114 carries), with Bam Knight at 21% (85) and Breece Hall at 19.8% (80) picking up the slack. The receiving split was far different from the year prior, though, with Carter seeing 41 receptions to 19 and 13 from Hall and Knight, respectively.

Had Hall stayed healthy, he likely would have ended up as the lead back in the room.

New York’s run game as a whole was again close to the bottom with the seventh-worst unit in the league.

Predicting the Cardinals’ 2026 running game led by Jeremiyah Love

Taking LaFleur’s previous stops into account and who the Cardinals currently have on the roster, turning to a 2025-esque running back split is likely the blueprint.

On top of overall team success, Williams still churned out one of his best seasons as a pro while limiting the wear and tear behind 57 fewer attempts than the year prior. Adding more of Corum only helped mix things up.

If Love can turn in a season like what Williams put on tape last year with a similar usage, there’s not going to be a ton of criticism, especially if Arizona’s run game pulls itself out of the doldrums and Allgeier successfully takes on a similar RB2 role to what he did in Atlanta alongside Bijan Robinson.

Increasing that split to the 60% to 65% range feels ideal for Love, but it could be a process to get there. As for Allgeier, the 30% range is a strong starting point for the bruiser.

That would also leave 5% to 10% up for the rest of the room to divvy up. A lot of that depends on who sticks around, though. If the Cardinals get out of training camp healthy, moving on from James Conner or Trey Benson feels like a real possibility.

If a contending team suddenly loses a running back during camp or realizes it needs an upgrade, Conner figures to at or near the top of the list.

Benson, meanwhile, would give a team a younger option with two years still on his rookie deal.

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