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Saints Need Kendre Miller for Falcons Showdown

Originally posted on FanNation Saints News Network
By Bob Rose | Last updated 1/2/24

New Orleans Saints RB Alvin Kamara suffered a high ankle sprain in the second quarter of Sunday's 23-13 win at Tampa Bay. He'd miss the entire second half with the injury. Coach Dennis Allen did not provide any specifications on the severity of the injury either after the game or in his Monday press conference. John Hendrix of the Saints News Network reported that Kamara was rehabbing the ankle on Monday.

The Saints host the Atlanta Falcons this Sunday in need of a win to keep their slim postseason chances alive. Expect New Orleans to be coy with Kamara's status all week. He's unlikely to see much practice time, if any at all. His availability may even get the dreaded ''game-time decision'' status. The reality is that if Kamara does have a high ankle sprain, he's unlikely to play against Atlanta and will only be a fraction of his usual self if he does.

Veteran RB Jamaal Williams took on the bulk of the backfield duties in the second half with Kamara out against the Buccaneers. Williams finished the game with 19 rushes for 58 yards and caught four passes for 13 yards. All four numbers were the best of the season for Williams, a seven-year veteran in his first year with the Saints.

Behind Williams, New Orleans had only Taysom Hill and fullback Adam Prentice as backfield options in the second half against Tampa Bay. If Kamara does miss the season finale, Williams will certainly be expected to shoulder the rushing load. He's more than capable. Williams has 3,932 career rushing yards with 38 total touchdowns. In 2022 with the Detroit Lions, he ran for a career-best 1,066 yards and NFL-high 17 scores on the ground.

Taysom Hill would also figure to be a key to the running game. Hill has been dealing with a foot injury of his own and has only five rushing attempts in the last three games. He did pull in a gorgeous 22-yard touchdown reception against the Buccaneers. Hill is second on the team with 350 rushing yards and averages 4.7 per run.

Veteran RB James Robinson or undrafted rookie Jordan Mims could be elevated from the practice squad for depth against Atlanta if Kamara is unable to go. The more likely scenario is that the Saints turn to a promising rookie that's been unavailable for several weeks.

Kendre Miller

New Orleans selected Miller out of TCU in the third round of last spring's draft. He was the fourth running back chosen after rushing for 1,399 yards and 17 touchdowns in 2022 for the Horned Frogs.

Despite catching only 29 passes in three years at TCU, Miller showed strong receiving skills in preseason. His burst and breakaway speed also made many believe that he could add many of the same things that Kamara brings to the Saints offense. Unfortunately, leg injuries limited Miller's reps during training camp and preseason games.

Once finally healthy, Miller showed why the Saints valued him in the draft. His best two rushing games came against Green Bay (9 carries for 34 yards) and New England (12-37). Not overly impressive, but he showed nice vision and decent power in limited touches. It was as a receiver out of the backfield where Miller was most impressive.

Against the Patriots, Miller had an impressive 33-yard over the shoulder catch on a sideline route. He had four receptions for 53 yards in that game. A month later against the Chicago Bears, Miller took a short pass for 31 yards while displaying outstanding vision and burst.

On that play, Miller suffered a high ankle sprain. It's an injury that's kept him out of action for the last seven games. He's returned to practice over the last two weeks, albeit in limited duty, but has been a game-day inactive twice.

Kendre Miller has played only seven games as a rookie. He's rushed for 83 yards on 28 carries and caught nine passes for 111 yards. Miller wasn't expected to get a lot of touches behind Kamara and Williams, but it was hoped that he'd be an explosive complement to the attack.

There are no more tomorrows left for New Orleans if they don't beat Atlanta on Sunday. With Kamara's status in great doubt, the Saints need Kendre Miller to show why they coveted him coming into the draft.

This article first appeared on FanNation Saints News Network and was syndicated with permission.

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