Alvin Kamara’s availability for Week 1 has been a bit of a rollercoaster. He suffered a MCL sprain during training camp, and the timeline has him at least missing the New Orleans Saints’ season opener. All signs during the week pointed towards Kamara beating the recovery timetable, but it was reported hours before kickoff that he isn’t expected to play versus the Detroit Lions.
Kamara returned to practice this week as a limited participant. That typically wouldn’t be enough to raise hopes that much, but the running back didn’t look physically limited and became a full participant by week's end.
It was enough to start looking at the impact of Kamara’s potential return. It was enough to feel a bit of disappointment around him having to sit for a week. If there was a silver lining, it’s that Kamara’s progress is real, and the expectation is he’ll return next week.
No Alvin Kamara? Time for Travis Etienne to show why the Saints paid him big money!
With no Alvin Kamara, it paints a new picture of the Saints backfield. Travis Etienne should take an even larger share of the carries, and Kendre Miller will take over in Kamara’s role as Etienne’s complement. Then, undrafted free agent and practice squad call up CJ Donaldson will close the rotation.
Etienne was already going to be the Saints’ lead back, but there’s even more weight on his shoulders. It makes for an interesting 60 minutes, because this is the regular for him. He’s used to being the man and not splitting touches, and this could help him find a rhythm in the offense quicker.
Etienne has had his struggles against the Lions in the past, but the Saints don’t have time for a repeat performance. No Kamara means more is required from the new addition. The running game is an important part of Kellen Moore’s offense, so this puts more pressure on Etienne to perform as well.
Etienne won’t do it on his own though. Miller is going to likely receive less carries than Kamara, but he should still be a real factor in the running game.
Miller is explosive and gives the Saints another running back with burst. This will be a big opportunity for Miller, in Kamara’s absence, to show why he deserves more touches when Kamara does return.
The Donaldson call up also makes more sense now. It was originally looked at as a replacement for Audric Estime. He went to injured reserve earlier this week, but while the timeline added up, something felt off about the move.
While there’s logic behind replacing Estime, a fourth running back didn’t feel like cause for a practice squad call up. With the news that Kamara will miss the game, adding a third running back makes a lot of sense and was basically mandatory.
Donaldson may only see a couple of carries in the game, but the Saints needed the body. The weight is going to be on Etienne and Miller to carry the rushing attack in the opener.
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