Kendre Miller left Tuesday practice under his own power, then he was absent at the New Orleans Saints' Wednesday practice. Kellen Moore assured it was just a minor issue, but the damage had been done. Miller's injury was a reminder that Saints fans will never breathe easy when it comes to the running back.
We've all heard this story before, and it's a story that's been told with Miller for years. The running back is the exceptionally talented player who just doesn't stay healthy. The story hasn't changed over the last four years; it's just been rewritten.
This may be a minor injury, but it's concerning when it comes to Miller specifically. He can't avoid the injuries of course, but the bug keeps finding a way to find him. Moore says Miller walked out of the last preseason game banged up, but all anyone wants is for him to stop walking out of these games banged up to the point of missing practices.
Saints are depending on Kendre Miller to start the season
We're a week away from game week, and he would likely be questionable going into a game on Sunday with this type of schedule. Miller had something plaguing him after Friday's game. He came back and tried to practice days later and had to miss Wednesday's practice.
On a traditional schedule, Wednesday's schedule would be a Friday practice. Missing Friday's practice would land Miller firmly in the questionable category for the upcoming game. Even right now, they'll have to see how he feels next week.
Alvin Kamara may have to miss the first two games, so that pushes Miller up to RB2. There's a bigger spotlight on him in that role, and the team needs him to be reliable. The biggest part of being reliable is being available.
The questions of whether or not Miller is going to be available for a game or wondering if he's going to be banged up after each game makes it hard to get excited about how he could complement Travis Etienne. Miller suffered an injury in camp then quickly bounced back after missing the preseason opener.
Bouncing back quickly is an improvement over what we've seen in the past, but Miller's shot could be just two weeks long. Only missing a game could also be half of the opportunity to make a statement. When you view it that way, there's a different level of urgency attached to it.
There began to be an excitement around Miller again, and then right when that started, he's out with a minor injury. It was just a reminder that fans will constantly be holding their breath when it comes to Miller.
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