The New Orleans Saints and head coach Kellen Moore look like they've found something in young quarterback Tyler Shough. Ahead of a primetime Monday night game with the NFC South rival Atlanta Falcons, however, they're not going to have their full stable of weapons.
One of the Saints' biggest acquisitions this past offseason, starting running back Travis Etienne Jr., will miss the game as he recovers from a hamstring injury. In fact, he'll miss even more games than that, as the Saints placed the tailback on injured reserve late last week, meaning he will be out a minimum of four weeks.
Woof. It's a good thing the Saints don't necessarily have contender expectations just yet; otherwise, this injury would probably hurt a lot more. Instead, they can
let Etienne take his time and get fully healthy.
Saints placing RB Travis Etienne (hamstring) on injured reserve. pic.twitter.com/n8FkVONuuD
— NFL (@NFL) October 1, 2026
As for when Etienne might actually come back to the Saints, a four-week timeline from early October would mean we'll likely see Etienne around early November. With the Saints having a Week 8 bye, it seems likely we'll probably see Etienne play again for the Saints in a home game against the Cleveland Browns on November 8th. That would give him adequate time to ramp up and be reintegrated back into the Saints' offensive scheme in a productive manner.
Etienne has accounted for over 1,300 yards from scrimmage three times in his career to this stage. That's the kind of weapon you want running on all cylinders if you're the Saints.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: When is Travis Etienne Jr. coming back to the Saints?
