AZ Cardinals Ref and recap

Coach Mike LaFleur confirmed Tuesday that Love does not need surgery to address his ankle injury, Tyler Drake of ArizonaSports.com reports.

Love sustained a reported high-ankle sprain in this past Thursday’s preseason win over the Raiders, and he’s not expected to play again during the preseason. Per Josh Weinfuss of ESPN, the Cardinals are hoping the rookie running back will be available for Week 1 action. If he ends up being limited at all out of the gate, Tyler Allgeier would presumably see added opportunities, especially with James Conner (foot) and Trey Benson (knee) dealing with injuries of their own.

Benson (knee) has yet to progress to 11-on-11 drills in training camp, Theo Mackie of The Arizona Republic reports.

The clock is ticking for Benson, who missed a large chunk of 2025 with a knee injury that has continued to bother him at times during camp. On a positive note, Benson managed to get in a limited practice Monday. However, it’s unclear when he’ll be ready for full-team drills. Benson is one of several Cardinals running backs dealing with injuries, including Jeremiyah Love (ankle) and James Conner (foot).

Benson (knee) is in attendance for Monday’s practice, Tyler Drake of ArizonaSports.com reports.

Benson has been in and out of practice since his left knee flared up two weeks ago, missing Thursday’s preseason game at Las Vegas in the process. With rookie first-round pick Jeremiyah Love being diagnosed with a high-ankle sprain this weekend, Benson has a chance to stake a claim on the RB depth chart behind offseason addition Tyler Allgeier for as long as Love is sidelined. Moreover, fellow back James Conner continues to sit out 11-on-11 drills due to a foot injury, meaning Benson currently is the highest profile player at the position that can make a leap, assuming he doesn’t suffer additional setbacks with his own health concern.