Tyler Allgeier is one of those running backs who just can't seem to catch a break. After rushing for 1,000 yards in his rookie season, the Atlanta Falcons drafted Bijan Robinson with the eighth pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the same story repeated itself when he left Atlanta in free agency to chase a larger role with the Arizona Cardinals.
Just six weeks after signing Allgeier to a two-year, $12.25 million deal, the Cardinals followed in the Falcons' footsteps. Arizona selected Jeremiyah Love with the third pick in the 2026 Draft, again ending the veteran's hopes of being a feature back before they could truly get off the ground.
For a minute there, it seemed like Mike LaFleur and the Cardinals were going to split backfield duties 50-50. Allgeier took a good amount of first-team reps in training camp, and across the first two weeks of the season, he out-snapped Love: 76-52, and he even logged more carries (17) than him (11) in the season opener against the Chargers.
But that was short-lived. In Week 3 against the 49ers, the Heisman Trophy finalist finally took control of the backfield in a way that gave Falcons fans deja vu to 2023. The snap share was a 55-31 split in Love's favor, and he had a breakout performance that ended all hopes of this becoming a committee.
Tyler Allgeier is right back in the role Falcons fans remember him best in
In the 36-30 loss, Allgeier logged a season-low two carries and had negative rushing yards on the day, while Jeremiyah Love shined. He carried the ball 21 times for 90 yards and tacked on five catches and a receiving touchdown, so his skillset as a three-down back is rendering Allgeier useless.
And while it may seem weird that the 26-year-old's production up and dropped off like that, there is a visible explanation for it. Love suffered a high-ankle sprain over the summer, and while he was good to play in Week 1, it seems that LaFleur wanted to manage his workload over these first few weeks.
It seems to me that the Cardinals didn't want to take any chances with their prized rookie because he likely wasn't 100% off the injury yet, so the backfield management in these first two weeks was designed intentionally so they could ease Love into NFL action early on and give Tyler Allgeier a shot.
Since the Cardinals are a team who are going to be playing from behind a lot (like they were in San Francisco) and Love is a better pass-catcher than the former BYU standout, it's fairly obvious who will get more burn After all, if you make a guy with Bijan Robinson comps the highest-drafted RB since Saquon Barkley, you better make that pick worthwhile.
Tyler Allgeier's role with the Cardinals has diminished every single week, so not only should be regret leaving the Atlanta Falcons (who's own run game is thriving with Brian Robinson Jr. in his role), it feels like his idea of betting on himself hasn't gone to plan since he already lost control of the backfield to Jeremiyah Love. And frankly, we all saw this one coming.
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