The New Orleans Saints got a timely lift heading into Week 10, and it comes with the division race tightening at just the right moment. After Tampa Bay’s loss pushed New Orleans into a two-way tie for first place with the Carolina Panthers, the Saints announced that Travis Etienne Jr. has returned to practice this week.
That development immediately puts Etienne’s status in focus for Sunday’s matchup with Carolina at Caesars Superdome. Some around the team are already wondering whether the star running back could be back on the field for what amounts to a pivotal divisional showdown.
Etienne hasn’t played since Week 3 of the 2026 season against the Las Vegas Raiders at home, when he carried the ball 13 times for 57 yards and no touchdowns. Through three games this year, the former Clemson Tigers standout has totaled 128 rushing yards on 30 carries and is still searching for his first touchdown of the season.
The Saints put Etienne on injured reserve in the first week of October because of a hamstring injury. Before that move, he led the team in rushing yards in each of the first three games. Since then, New Orleans has had four different players lead the team in rushing in its next five games, including quarterback Tyler Shough in Week 7, when he managed just seven rushing yards.
The ground game has been a problem for New Orleans, and not a quiet one. Before the Week 8 bye, the Saints were averaging about one yard per carry against the Steelers. Audric Estime brought some life to the offense after the bye, finishing Sunday’s win over the Cleveland Browns with just under 5.0 yards per carry.
Still, Etienne is the player who changes the ceiling of this rushing attack. He ran for 1,000 yards last season, and if the Saints are going to make a push for the NFC South, beating Carolina is the assignment in front of them now. Whether Etienne is ready to help in Week 10 is the next big question.
In Other News...
Saints Rookie Christen Miller Faces Another Brutal Setback
Christen Millers rookie season has been defined by stop-and-start frustration, and Thursday brought another hit to his momentum. The Saints defensive lineman did not practice after hurting his knee in Wednesdays session, adding another injury note to a year in which he has already been limited by multiple setbacks since being drafted.
The timing is especially tough for a player who has managed only four games this season and has seen his snaps kept to a minimum when he has been available. New Orleans also had running back C.J. Donaldson and center Erik McCoy sidelined from practice because of injuries, while Alvin Kamara returned after a planned day off, leaving the Saints with a few more health questions to monitor as the week moves on. [Read more 🡒]
Saints Bought Kellen Moore Time But The Pressure Is Still There
The Saints finally found enough late offense to steady things against the Browns, and it came at a time when the margin for error around Kellen Moore had started to shrink. For most of the game, the attack was uneven and hard to trust, but the final two drives looked more like the version New Orleans has been trying to build, with a stronger rushing effort and a few timely big plays helping turn a tense afternoon into a win.
For Moore, the result matters almost as much as the way it unfolded. A cleaner finish can buy a coach some breathing room, especially when the conversation around his job security had started to get louder, but one good closing stretch does not erase the larger concerns. The Saints still need more consistent production from an offense that spent too much of the day searching for answers before finally finding them when it mattered most. [Read more 🡒]
Saints Make Risky O-Line Pivot With McCoy Out
Erik McCoys biceps injury has forced the Saints into a different kind of shuffle up front, with Cesar Ruiz set to take over at center for the upcoming game. Ruiz had spent training camp getting work there as a contingency plan, so this is not a blind leap, but it does mark a noticeable change from the way New Orleans handled similar situations before and from the approach it used last season.
Jeremiah Wright will slide into the starting lineup at right guard because of Ruizs move, giving the Saints a reshaped interior in a game where communication and cohesion will matter as much as talent. For an offensive line that has already had to think on its feet, the question now is how smoothly the new alignment holds together once the ball is snapped. [Read more 🡒]