Arizona Cardinals training camp: Mike LaFleur loves his RB room

The Arizona Cardinals ended the 2025 season with a running backs room that included Michael Carter, Bam Knight, Emari Demercado and Corey Kiner, with James Conner and Trey Benson on injured reserve.

Carter was the leading rusher with a paltry 333 yards, followed by Demercado with 312 and Knight with 269.

As the team opened training camp this week, Carter and Demercado have moved on while rookie Jeremiyah Love and Tyler Allgeier have been added to the group.

Head coach Mike LaFleur likes what he sees.

When it was mentioned Friday that he has four pretty good ones (Love, Conner, Allgeier and Benson), LaFleur said, “I personally think we have more than four good running backs, honestly. I love that whole group. I love Matt Merritt as the running back coach. I think he coaches them hard. I think they have a standard in that room already.”

Asked how the pecking order might work out, he said, “I think it’s as hard at running back than probably almost any other position to go out there and show what you can do without playing real football. So when we get the pads on, you’re getting thudded and stuff like that. And you’re going to get the strip attempts and all that kind of stuff. But even without the pads, we’re obviously attacking the ball and we’re attacking with violence, but it just goes to a different level.”

The preseason games will begin to serve as a separation in order to evaluate.

“Sometimes you do have to wait until those preseason games to really see when they get into the zone and they get hit a few times,” LaFleur said. “Some guys go like this (raised hand up) and some guys go like that (put hand down). (So) I’m excited to see what they’re going to do in those situations.”

Conner’s role could be intriguing because he played only three games last season and will be brought along slowly recovering from a serious ankle injury.

Said LaFleur, “He’s played a lot of good football. What an incredible human being he is as you guys know, and he’s coming back from an injury, and we’re going to do this thing right. He’s logged a lot of miles in his career. So we’ve got to be responsible.

“What’s cool about him is as bad as he wants to get out there, he knows his body better than all of us. And he’s earned the right to collaborate with the medical staff (for) what’s going to be best for him moving forward. But can’t have too many good backs. We’re not gonna apologize for that for sure.”

Surely, everyone expects Love to eventually emerge as the go-to back not only running but also as a pass-catcher.

Asked about Love, center Hjalte Froholdt said Thursday, “Loves the game. Freak athlete. He’s fun in the locker room when you get to talk to him. Sometimes it’s hard for a rookie to kind of open up and stuff like that, but he’s very natural. So it’s been nice to get to know him, but hopefully get to know him a little bit more now through training camp and being at the Wigwam and being able to connect better as players.”

Most everyone, even on the outside, who has observed Love since he was drafted has been impressed by how he always talks about the importance of everyone around him and becoming a good teammate.

Asked about the importance of having his presence in the locker room as well as the obvious talent, LaFleur said, “Anytime you can get good humans in any walk of life, any business, any football program, anything like that, the more good dudes that you have that have a baseline talent level, I think we all agree that he has a pretty good baseline talent level usually the better you’re going to be. Usually, the better your culture is going to be.

“Culture is just a word; you know what it’s going to be. The way I look at culture is how we do stuff around here and how you go about your business, and the more good people you have usually the better culture you’re naturally going to have. With that baseline being set, when you talk about a guy like Jeremiah; what a mature young man. He’s been awesome with the locker room.”

Noting that Love understands that he has a mere three months in the NFL, LaFleur said, “I think it’s cool, too, because he is himself, but he also has some awareness that he’s a rookie, too, in terms of, ‘I’m going to be a rookie in there as well, and I’m going to lean on these guys that have done it in the league that have had a routine.’

“But I always go back to when I got a chance to meet his parents and even before I met the parents, just watching Saturday College Game Day or seeing some of the tidbits that they’d have on ESPN, you kind of knew right there. You’re like, ‘Wow, what a foundation this guy (has).’ Like how lucky to have a situation that he had growing up and great for him to be able to soak that in, absorb that, and continue on and be his own man.”

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This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: Arizona Cardinals training camp: Mike LaFleur loves his RB room