The New Orleans Saints have picked up two tough losses in their first three games, sandwiched around an impressive victory over the Baltimore Ravens.
Things might be about to get a little harder with the latest injury news out of New Orleans involving running back Travis Etienne.
Etienne left Sunday’s game and didn’t return during the 35-27 loss to the 3-0 Las Vegas Raiders.
On Monday, the update from Saints coach Kellen Moore wasn’t ideal.
Travis Etienne Injury Update
Kellen Moore told reporters that there will be “time lost” for Etienne.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether Etienne would need to go on IR, which would come with a minimum four-game absence.
Saints RB Travis Etienne will be “time lost” with the hamstring injury, per Kellen Moore. Specific timetable TBD, so not sure yet if he may land on IR.
— Mike Triplett (@MikeTriplett) September 28, 2026
The concern is a bit heightened for Etienne for two reasons surrounding the nature of the injury.
The fact that it’s a hamstring issue at all is problematic, because that’s a tricky injury and one that can be tough for a running back to come back quickly from.
But then there’s this — Etienne was on the Saints’ injury report leading into Week 3 with a hamstring issue. He didn’t end up with an injury designation for Sunday’s game, but it does raise concern that this may not have been a new problem but instead an aggravation of an old one (a fact that hasn’t been made clear one way or the other, to be clear).
Etienne signed a four-year contract to be the Saints’ lead back, but after some early struggles in the first couple games, he’s now going to miss time, which is going to make the start of his tenure in New Orleans even a bit more painful.
Saints RB Depth Chart
The Saints now have three healthy RBs who have seen time in regular season action so far this season.
Alvin Kamara is the veteran who has by far the most experience, although he may not have the same burst that he used to.
Kendre Miller is a younger back who hasn’t quite delivered when given the chance but could again see action now.
And then there’s the undrafted rookie CJ Donaldson, who is a bruising runner who also sees time at fullback. He could at least factor in for short-yardage spots.
Kamara finished with nine carries on Sunday, behind just the 13 from Etienne, which suggests he’ll get first crack in the backfield. Miller had four totes, and Donaldson had just one — which came before Etienne got hurt.
Kamara had just one target, while Miller caught 2-of-3 targets, so the Saints may operate on a relatively balanced split between those two.
Travis Etienne Injury Update Changes Saints’ RB Depth Chart