Mike LaFleur: Jeremiyah Love OK after ankle injury, could have returned

Cardinals running back Jeremiyah Love had a busy preseason debut with 14 touches in the first half of Thursday’s matchup with the Raiders.

While Love did suffer an ankle injury, head coach Mike LaFleur said in his postgame press conference that the running back was OK.

“He could have returned if we needed him to, so he’s fine,” LaFleur said, adding he thinks Love will practice this week. “But again, you never know. It’s one of those things that maybe tomorrow it’s a little more sore than the next, so we’ll take that day by day. Again, just talking to him in there, he was good and excited and happy to be out there playing.”

As for Love’s night, LaFleur said the idea was to get the running back double-digit touches, and he was pleased with that result — particularly with the passing game.

“Well, if you have a back that can run routes out of the backfield, you typically have favorable matchups,” LaFleur said. “There’s obviously certain linebackers that are really good at covering guys. If you got a guy that you feel is pretty dynamic, that can obviously be a pretty big weapon for you.”

Arizona’s next preseason game will be next Saturday at home against the Cowboys.