The New Orleans Saints just wrapped up the first practice ahead of their Monday Night Football matchup against the Atlanta Falcons and wasted little time shaking up the roster in light of some recent injuries.
New Orleans signed wide receiver Kevin Austin Jr. to the active roster from the practice squad, added running back Ulysses Bentley IV and edge rusher David Ojabo to the practice squad and placed running back Travis Etienne Jr. on injured reserve.
Etienne suffered a hamstring injury in Sunday’s
loss to the Las Vegas Raiders and will now miss at least four games, leaving the Saints without one of their key offensive weapons.
Austin is no stranger to New Orleans. He has spent the past three seasons with the Saints, bouncing between the active roster and practice squad. In 19 games with three starts, Austin has caught 25 passes for 298 yards and one touchdown.
Bentley originally signed with the Colts as an undrafted free agent following the 2025 NFL Draft. He spent time on the practice squad in Indianapolis over the past two seasons and appeared in one game as a rookie.
Ojabo brings some additional depth off the edge. A second-round pick by the Ravens in the 2022 NFL Draft, he appeared in 32 games with one start over four seasons in Baltimore, recording 28 tackles, 4.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and four special teams stops.
The Saints will need all hands on deck as New Orleans (1-2) will welcome Atlanta (1-2) to town Monday night for their first NFC South matchup of the season. With both teams trying to climb back to .500, an early divisional win could provide some much-needed momentum.
