Travis Etienne Jr was dealing with a hamstring injury this week that had him limited in practice until Friday. He was a full participant in the final practice and has no injury designation, but he still has to shake one thing that has limited him this year. Kellen Moore.
You won’t find that on an injury report. Like he was in practice earlier this week, Etienne has felt like a limited participant in the Saints’ game plan, specifically in the run game. He caught a bunch of passes in Week 1 once the Saints were in comeback mode, but that’s not what the Saints brought him in for.
Offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier specifically dismissed Etienne having the label as a rushing and receiving back, instead labeling him as an elite runner. They aren’t using him like one to start the season. Alvin Kamara instantly, and expectedly, ate into Etienne’s receptions, and it put a greater spotlight on the lack of touches.
Saints can’t keep asking Tyler Shough to carry the load, especially this week
We could sit back and rehash the investment the Saints put into Etienne, but let’s shy away from the surprise at the lack of touches and focus on the benefits of increasing Etienne’s touches. History will tell you he’s a runner who is maximized by constant touches. He’s received over 200 rushes in all but one year, and it was his worst year.
Etienne has provided some good runs, 8 or 9 touches isn’t enough to get in a rhythm. Mistakes like a dropped toss doesn’t change the fact that Moore has to do a better job of getting Etienne involved in the run game early. It should help the running back, in turn bolstering the overall rushing attack, and it should ease the pressure on Shough.
Improving the rushing attack has its own clear individual benefit, and providing a balanced offense is a pretty good collateral benefit.
Shough had 56 and 34 attempts in the first two games, and he’s had more dropbacks than all quarterbacks other than C.J. Stroud (Jordan Love now has the lead after playing on Thursday Night Football.) The result has been Shough getting pressured more than any quarterback in the league. Even though he's handled it well, the Saints need to give Shough a break.
The Las Vegas Raiders have one of the most productive pass rushes in the league. Making Shough throw the ball 30, 40 times is a recipe for more hits and should be avoided if possible. The best way to do it is running the football.
This is the exact type of game that Moore should aim to reinvigorate the rushing attack. Most importantly, he has to choose it and stick with it. Everything from there is execution, but Moore has to start doing his part as well.
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