Alvin Kamara remains one of the few holdovers from a past era of New Orleans Saints football.
As much of the squad has changed through the years, Kamara has remained, and the Saints restructured his contract in the offseason to ensure that the talented running back could remain a part of the roster in 2026.
He is looking at a changing role for this season, though. Kamara will no longer be the top dog in the running back room.
The Saints went out this offseason and signed Travis Etienne from the Jacksonville Jaguars. Etienne is getting $12 million per year to be the most-involved player in the Saints offense.
With Etienne on board, Kamara is going to have to find other ways to contribute. He’ll likely make his biggest impact at this point in his career as a pass catcher, but that’s a skill Etienne has too, so it remains to be seen just how exactly Kellen Moore will call on Kamara to be used.
It also may be a little while before Saints fans get to see Kamara’s new role. Because of an injury, he’s a question mark for Week 1.
Is Alvin Kamara Playing in Week 1?
There’s a lot of doubt about Kamara’s playing status for Week 1.
As of Tuesday, Sept. 8, there haven’t been any reports that make it feel like a sure thing.
If Kamara misses Week 1 action, it’ll push guys like Kendre Miller and Audric Estime up the depth chart. Etienne should be the workhorse regardless, but it might stamp him even more surely as the guy who’s going to get the vast majority of touches in the opener on Sunday.
Why Is Alvin Kamara Questionable?
Kamara shows up on a number of websites with the injury designation next to his name, including on ESPN’s fantasy football platform.
It’s worth noting that he isn’t officially questionable, because that won’t be determined until the Saints start to release Week 1 injury reports, which begins on Wednesday.
Kamara is injured, though, so it’s somewhat representative of reality.
He sprained his MCL during the Saints’ Aug. 18 joint practice with the Dallas Cowboys.
Kamara didn’t play in a preseason game, and reports at the time of the injury suggested Kamara could miss a month or more.
If those timelines were accurate, Kamara will be out beyond Week 1, although maybe not way past it.
The Saints don’t have to say a whole lot about such injuries before the regular season arrives. But now that it’s here, they won’t be able to hide too much as the injury reports begin to come out.
Starting Wednesday, Kamara’s status for the opening week of the season will be more clear. And there’s a chance it’s not a very good outlook for the veteran running back, at least for the first few weeks of the season.
Is Alvin Kamara Playing in Week 1? Saints Injury News Comes With Questionable Status