New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier isn’t interested in selling Travis Etienne Jr. as just another pass-catching back.
He sees something bigger than that.
Etienne may have the reputation of being a 1,000-yard runner with soft hands out of the backfield, but Nussmeier pushed back on the idea that the receiving piece defines him. The Saints’ new addition, in his view, is first and foremost a runner - and an elite one at that.
Nussmeier ran through the traits that stand out to him: contact balance, instincts, vision and more. He called Etienne a “true tailback” and said “there's a lot of things that things this guy does at an elite level,” while also noting that he has good hands.
“I see an elite running back.” #Saints OC Doug Nussmeier breaks down the addition of RB Travis Etienne Jr. pic.twitter.com/yPVWJnx7FT
- NOF (@nofnetwork) September 1, 2026
That kind of praise only adds to the pressure on Etienne to deliver in New Orleans.
The Saints have $14 million reasons to expect production, and the rest of the running back room may push him into even heavier usage. The original idea was for Etienne to pair with Alvin Kamara, giving the offense a backfield built around a 1-2 punch. But that vision won’t be on display to open the season, and Kamara’s recent injury issues leave plenty of uncertainty about how long that plan can even stay intact.
The depth chart behind Etienne doesn’t exactly calm anyone down, either. Kendre Miller has had his own trouble staying healthy, and Audric Estime has also dealt with injuries this offseason. If the Saints are looking for stability early, Etienne is the obvious answer.
And this isn’t new territory for him.
Etienne has spent most of his pro career carrying a heavy load, with more than 200 carries in three of his four seasons. New Orleans may need that same kind of workload again, especially while Kamara is sidelined. Miller could still provide an explosive change of pace, but Etienne should be in line for a much larger share of the touches than he would have seen alongside a healthy Kamara.
If the Saints get the version Nussmeier is describing - a back who can handle volume and still hit an elite ceiling - Etienne could be a major piece for this offense. Kellen Moore has also had success with running backs, which only makes the fit feel more natural as Etienne heads into what could be a big year.
In Other News...
Saints Again Face A Familiar Kendre Miller Problem
Kendre Millers latest practice hiccup is another reminder of how fragile the Saints running back depth can look when the room is asked to carry extra weight. Miller left a recent practice with a minor injury and then sat out the next session, and while Kellen Moore has downplayed the issue, the larger concern is less about the specific ailment than the pattern around it.
Alvin Kamara could be facing missed time, which would make Miller even more important as New Orleans second back and a key part of the offenses contingency plan. The Saints have seen enough injury interruptions with Miller to know availability is the first question, and for a team trying to build reliable options behind Kamara, every practice absence carries a little more significance than it normally would. [Read more 🡒]
Saints Keep Tweaking Roster With One Late Move Worth Watching
The Saints have kept the roster churn going in the lead-up to the 2025 season kickoff, adding wide receiver Kevin Austin Jr. and tight end Treyton Welch to the practice squad while also claiming cornerback Decamerion Richardson off waivers from the Las Vegas Raiders. It is the kind of late-August business that can look minor on paper but often says plenty about how a team wants to stock the back end of its roster and what it values in terms of depth and upside.
Richardson arrives at a position group that always draws attention in New Orleans, and his addition came at a cost, with rookie Lorenzo Styles Jr. going on injured reserve to clear a spot. The Saints have already shown they are willing to keep adjusting as they sort through the final layers of the roster, and this latest move is one worth watching as they continue to shape the defensive backfield and the rest of the practice squad. [Read more 🡒]
Saints Quarterback Future Just Became The NFC South's Biggest Debate
The NFC South has become a division built on uncertainty, and the Saints are right in the middle of it. Carolina won the crown in 2025 despite an 8-9 record and a minus-69 point differential, a reminder that no team in the group has really separated itself. CBS Sports even slotted all four clubs into the same tier in its power rankings, which only reinforces how wide open, and how unimpressive, the race has looked heading into the next round of roster decisions.
For New Orleans, the biggest question sits at quarterback, where the future remains one of the defining debates in the division. With each NFC South team dealing with its own set of roster issues, the Saints do not have the luxury of leaning on a clearly settled outlook, and that makes the position especially important as they try to find a path back to the top. In a division this bunched together, the answer under center could end up mattering more than anything else. [Read more 🡒]