The Arizona Cardinals signed Tyler Allgeier to a two-year, $12.25 million deal. Will the running back become a star for his new team?
Allgeier spent his first four seasons with the Atlanta Falcons. For three of those seasons, he shared carries with fellow running back Bijan Robinson. But now that Allgeier is in Arizona, he’s expected to get the majority of the carries. That gives him the opportunity to be “The Man” in 2026.
Tyler Allgeier Could Emerge as a Potent Weapon for the Cardinals
His Career Thus Far
Tyler Allgeier played college football at BYU. He appeared in four games as a freshman, rushing for 49 yards. He played linebacker the following year. That season (13 games), he recorded 26 tackles and 0.5 sacks on defense while adding 119 yards on offense.
Allgeier moved back to running back in 2020, starting eight of his 11 games. He finished the season rushing for 1,130 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns.
In 2021, Allgeier rushed for 1,601 yards and 23 touchdowns. He then chose to forgo his remaining two years of eligibility and enter the NFL draft.
Atlanta selected Allgeier in the fifth round (151st overall pick) of the 2022 NFL Draft. He immediately made an impact as the team’s lead back, recording 1,035 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. He also caught 16 passes for 139 yards and a touchdown.
The Falcons drafted Bijan Robinson eighth overall in 2023. Many players in that situation would’ve been upset and demanded a trade. But that wasn’t the case for Allgeier. Although his usage dropped with Robinson around, he still finished with 683 rushing yards.
Allgeier had a career-low 514 rushing yards last season. Yet, he was effective in the red zone with a team-high eight touchdowns, one more than Robinson had.
A Star in the Making?
The Cardinals’ run game struggled in 2025. Their 1,583 rushing yards were the second-worst in the league. Only the Las Vegas Raiders (1,317 yards) had less. Arizona finished with a 3-14 record as starter James Connor was limited to three games due to injury. Michael Carter was the team’s leading rusher with just 333 yards.
To help improve the running game, the Cardinals addressed the offensive line this offseason. They signed Isaac Seumalo, Elijah Wilkinson, and Matt Pryor. Plus, they might use the third overall pick to draft an offensive lineman like Miami’s Francis Mauigoa or Utah’s Spencer Fano. Fixing the offensive line will obviously make life easier for Allgeier in Arizona.
D.A. Sweat of Lawless Republic predicts Allgeier will get around 1,100 rushing yards in 2026:
“My prediction this season is Allgeier will average about 15 carries a game and about 4.2 yards per carry in a pretty bad offense. If he plays 17 games, that puts him at nearly 1,100 yards on the season. I’m pretty confident he’ll exceed 1,000 yards this year with the Cards.”
That prediction could certainly come true. Tyler Allgeier is a fantastic player who could have a breakout 2026 season.
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