The New Orleans Saints were without two of their most-talented offensive players at practice on Wednesday.
Their injury report will feature the names Alvin Kamara and Chris Olave as non-participants as the Saints begin their preparations for Week 5.
The Saints are coming off a tough Monday night loss to the Atlanta Falcons, and they’re working on a slightly short week since they’ll be coming back to play on Sunday.
New Orleans will remain at home in Week 5 to host the Minnesota Vikings in the early afternoon window.
The status of Kamara and Olave will be in focus as the week goes along.
Alvin Kamara Injury Update
Kamara was absent from Wednesday’s practice due to back soreness, according to head coach Kellen Moore.
Moore told reporters that Kamara’s knee ailment from Monday night was checked out and is fine.
Kamara had left the Week 4 loss for a portion of the second half after hurting his knee, but he did return, so evidently that wasn’t a huge problem.
It makes sense that the Saints would be cautious with any pain Kamara is feeling. He’s getting up there in years as far as running backs generally work. And so he was out on Wednesday with back soreness.
It’ll be more telling whether he’s back on the practice field on Thursday and Friday. If the back problem holds him out more, then it becomes more of a concern.
Chris Olave Injury Update
Saints fans got a scare late on Monday night. The game was in hand, already a clear loss, but Olave was still in.
And on a catch, Olave took a hit that clearly left him in some pain. He limped off.
The word after the game was that Olave was OK, but it was still a concern.
When he sat out Wednesday’s practice as a non-participant, it seemed even more a concern.
Afterward, the Saints mitigated that worry some — they clarified that it was just officially a rest day for Olave, not related to a specific injury.
Obviously, it would be reassuring for the Saints to see Olave back on the practice field on Thursday — if that happens, then Wednesday can truly just be viewed as a day when Olave got a chance to freshen up after having played on Monday night.
More Injuries
The Saints were without two other players at practice: Barion Brown and Kaden Elliss.
The playmaking return man Brown was out with a thigh injury.
Elliss, who missed Monday night, sat out with his continued calf problem.
Thursday’s injury report will provide more insight on potential availability of these players for Week 5.
Saints Announce Injury News for Alvin Kamara, Chris Olave