The Buccaneers aren’t ready to push Kenneth Gainwell to the side just because the stat line hasn’t popped yet. Through the first part of the season, he’s logged only seven carries for 25 yards, but Todd Bowles made it clear Tampa Bay still views him as a useful piece.
“Kenny will help us a great deal, and he’ll do more than that, as well as he was playing more [special] teams and returning kicks for us as well,” Bowles said, via BucsWire. “Kenny is going to help us.
He’s still a 1B for us. We know it’s a long season, and we’re going to need him immensely.”
In Atlanta, the wait continues for Michael Penix Jr. to get back on the field for his 2026 debut after the torn ACL he suffered in Week 11 of last season. Offensive coordinator Tommy Rees said Penix has been moving well and looking sharp in practice.
“I think Mike looks good, man, I really do,” Rees said, via FalconsWire. “Mike’s done everything we’ve asked of him really the last few weeks.
He’s looked sharp without any limitations. He’s moved in the pocket.
He’s gotten outside of the pocket. I’ll let the medical (staff) handle (the injury), but I’m very pleased with where Mike’s been.”
In New Orleans, Kellen Moore is taking a different approach than most coaches who try to wipe the slate clean from one year to the next. Instead, he’s pointing back to how the Saints finished last season and asking his team to build on that momentum in 2026.
“Last year, trying to carry that through the offseason, I thought was important,” Moore said via Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. “I thought our guys should feel good about the way last year finished.
But every season is different. Every season is going to take its own course.
And what I think you’ve seen through the first two weeks is just a really resilient team, and a team that keeps going for it.”
Moore also said he likes what he’s seen from his group so far, especially with New Orleans taking two road games against the Lions and Ravens and nearly opening the year 2-0. The Saints were one two-point conversion away from that start, and Moore said the narrow outcomes should still leave the team with plenty to build on.
“Anytime you open a season two games on the road against two teams that I think are going to play a lot of meaningful football down the stretch this year, we look and think about what Detroit’s capable of doing and what Baltimore’s capable of doing, so for us to bring both those games right down the wire, lose one really close and win one, yeah, I think our guys should feel like there’s some good stuff out of that,” Moore said.
In Other News...
Saints Fans Will Notice One Big Superdome Change At The Home Opener
The Caesars Superdome is rolling out a fresh gameday experience for the Saints home opener, and the changes will be obvious long before kickoff. To mark 60 seasons of Saints football, the building is debuting new food and drink options aimed at giving fans more variety as they settle into another home schedule in New Orleans.
Along with a $6 value menu, the lineup includes Louisiana-inspired dishes such as a pork alligator burger and Tabasco wings, plus specialty cocktails throughout the stadium. Suite fans will also have a $60 commemorative dessert on the menu, part of a broader push from the culinary team to make the Superdome feel a little more celebratory as the season gets underway. [Read more 🡒]
Saints Fans Can Already See Kellen Moores Travis Etienne Problem
Travis Etiennes early role has already become a talking point for Saints fans watching Kellen Moore sort out the offense. Through the first two games, Etienne has been kept under 10 rushing attempts in each one, a usage pattern that stands out for a back who is supposed to be one of the highest-paid at his position. Instead of functioning like the lead runner many expected, he has been deployed more as a piece in the passing game while Alvin Kamara has gotten the heavier share of work on the ground.
For New Orleans, the concern is less about one quiet stretch than what it might signal about Moores priorities with the backfield. If Etienne is going to justify his contract and become the centerpiece many assumed he would be, the Saints need to see more than scattered touches and receiving snaps. For now, the mismatch between pay and role is hard to ignore, and it leaves a real question hanging over how Moore plans to balance the two backs going forward. [Read more 🡒]
Saints May Be Catching Raiders At A Much Worse Time
The Saints are preparing for a Raiders team that has already managed to open the season 2-0 without Brock Bowers, but the matchup in Week 3 could look different if Las Vegas gets its top pass-catching weapon back. ESPNs Dan Graziano reported that Bowers is more likely than not to play against New Orleans, which would give the Raiders offense a major lift after getting through the first two weeks without him.
His availability still is not locked in, though, and that leaves a little suspense around how dangerous this Raiders group will be by kickoff. If Bowers gets through practice without any issues, New Orleans may be staring at a much tougher version of a team that has already found ways to win early. [Read more 🡒]