Saints’ Travis Etienne placed on injured reserve with hamstring injury, will miss at least four games
Saints running back Travis Etienne will now miss at least the next four games after the team placed him on injured reserve Thursday following a hamstring injury against the Raiders on Sunday.
Etienne was dealing with the injury over the course of the week. He was limited in practice Wednesday and Thursday but was cleared to play Sunday, according to reports.
In the third quarter, Etienne took off on a 16-yard run before grabbing at his left hamstring and pulling up awkwardly.
He was pushed out of bounds and could be seen favoring his left hamstring again. He then went to the medical tent before being taken to the locker room, according to reports.
Head coach Kellen Moore confirmed the injury was an aggravation of the left hamstring injury Etienne had been dealing with earlier in the week. Etienne did not return to the game and was listed as out with a hamstring injury.
Moore also noted that there is no specific timetable for Etienne’s return beyond the minimum four-game absence. If he only misses the minimum four games, he would be eligible to return during the Saints’ Week 8 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals on Nov. 8.
Before Etienne left the game, he had been busy. He finished with 13 carries for 57 yards and two receptions for 13 yards.
Etienne was brought in this offseason to be part of the 1-2 punch the Saints were looking for in their backfield. The team signed him to a four-year, $52 million deal this offseason. Through three games, Etienne had 30 carries for 128 yards and 11 receptions for 51 yards.
With Etienne sidelined, Alvin Kamara will see a heavy workload. Kendre Miller and C.J. Donaldson are expected to see increased opportunities in the Saints’ backfield.
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