This is just brutal. New Orleans Saints
head coach Kellen Moore told reporters Thursday that star running back Travis Etienne Jr. will be placed on injured reserve while he deals with a hamstring injury. He was limited in practice last week and tried to play through it in Sunday's loss to thee Las Vegas Raiders, but Etienne went down at the end of a 16-yard run and was visibly in pain as he made his way back to the sideline.He'll be sidelined for at least the next four weeks -- a stretch that includes two home games, a flight to New York, and the NFL's first-ever game in Paris. That means we won't see Etienne until after the Saints return from their bye week. However, Moore said "we'll see" how Etienne is progressing in recovery before activating
him. That suggests he could need more time to heal up. For now, the Nov. 8 home game with the Cleveland Browns looks like his soonest return date.
It's been a rough couple of weeks on the injury front with starting left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr., last year's first-round pick, potentially missing the season after undergoing ankle surgery. Etienne signed a four-year contract with his hometown team back in March valued at $47 million, with $24 million guaranteed at signing. He recovered well from a knee injury that cost him his 2021 rookie season before rushing for 1,000 or more yards in three of the next four years with the Jacksonville Jaguars. We'll have to wait and see how the Saints navigate their run game in his absence.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Saints lose $47M free agent acquisition to injured reserve
