New Orleans Saints running back Travis Etienne Jr. is set to return from injured reserve, according to a report from NFL insider Tom Pelissero on Saturday.
The move would put the 27-year-old in line to play Sunday against the Carolina Panthers, offering a timely boost for a New Orleans offense that has struggled to generate consistent production on the ground.
Etienne suffered a hamstring injury during the Saints’ Week 3 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on September 27.
He had already been dealing with the issue earlier in the week, then aggravated it late in the third quarter while completing a 16-yard run. The team placed him on injured reserve on October 1, which required him to miss at least four games.
That absence covered contests against the Atlanta Falcons, Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants, and Pittsburgh Steelers (played in Paris), along with the team’s bye week.
His earliest possible return window had been Week 9 against the Cleveland Browns, but the Saints elected to bring him along more carefully.
This week marked clear progress. The Saints opened Etienne’s 21-day practice window, and he logged consecutive limited sessions before participating fully on Friday.
That workload was enough for the team to list him as questionable for Sunday, and Pelissero’s reporting indicates the club is confident enough to activate him.
Before the injury, Etienne had appeared in three games and posted 30 carries for 128 yards (4.3 yards per attempt) along with 11 receptions for 51 yards, though he had yet to find the end zone as a Saint.
The timing is significant. New Orleans and Carolina entered the weekend with matching 3-5 records and a share of first place in the NFC South.
The Saints’ rushing attack has ranked near the bottom of the league during Etienne’s absence, averaging roughly 95 yards per game. Alvin Kamara, Kendre Miller (later waived), Audric Estime, and others have handled the workload, but none has provided the same combination of burst and receiving ability that Etienne showed in his final seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Etienne arrived in New Orleans last March on a four-year, $52 million contract after five seasons in Jacksonville.
A first-round pick (25th overall) out of Clemson in 2021, he missed his entire rookie year with a foot injury before establishing himself as a productive dual-threat back.
His return gives coach Kellen Moore another established option in a backfield that has been forced to piece things together. While the team is unlikely to abandon Kamara entirely, Etienne is expected to reclaim the primary role if he shows no setbacks.
Sunday’s game at the Caesars Superdome will mark the first real test of whether Etienne’s hamstring can hold up under regular-season contact.
If he is active and effective, it could stabilize an offense that has leaned heavily on the pass and provide New Orleans with a better chance to seize control of the division race.
