New Orleans Saints running back Travis Etienne was eligible to come off injured reserve for last week’s game against the Cleveland Browns, but the his hamstring wasn’t quite ready.
Could that change with a big division game against the Carolina Panthers on deck?
“We’ll see,” coach Kellen Moore said. “He’s progressing well. We’ll gather some more information and make a decision.”
It is similar to what Moore said about wide receiver Jordyn Tyson a week earlier. Tyson ultimately joined the team for practice Wednesday and made his NFL debut against Cleveland.
Moore said the Saints are “using the time allotted” to let Etienne work with the training staff before making a decision on whether he’ll rejoin the team for practice this week.
Though he hasn’t played since the third quarter of the Saints’ Week 3 loss to the Raiders — and though he only tallied 30 carries in those first three games — Etienne is only 34 yards shy of quarterback Tyler Shough’s team-leading 162 yards on the ground.
While New Orleans has struggled to run the ball in Etienne’s absence, it is coming off one of its better performances of the season. Audric Estimé, who rejoined the Saints last week after being waived by the Browns, rushed for a team-high 72 yards and a touchdown against his old team.
