Devin

Neal

As of Thursday, Neal was taking advantage of RB Kendre Miller’s back injury by playing well at practice. Miller is still sidelined, but now Neal is too. The two backs, along with RBs Audric Estime, Ty Chandler and CJ Donaldson, are all competing for the RB3 job. The fact that Neal is working with the training staff out in the open is a good sign, but this is worth keeping an eye on because a hamstring injury ended his rookie season prematurely.

The good news is that Miller was not listed with a knee injury after suffering a season-ending ACL tear in Week 7 last year. The bad news is that he evidently has a new injury, and the Saints have a fairly deep running back room right now. RBs Devin Neal, Audric Estime, Ty Chandler and CJ Donaldson are all vying for roster spots. Per Underhill, Neal is taking advantage of the extra reps. He could have the inside track to the RB3 role right now.

If the Saints cut bait on Alvin Kamara, Neal would probably be in the battle for the RB2 spot as things currently stand on the roster. This seems minor enough that we probably wouldn’t be concerned about it, but Neal was dinged up towards the end of last year and it’s worth keeping an eye on.

Triplett and his colleague, Nick Underhill, joked about how RB Kendre Miller (knee) will likely once again dazzle at organized team activities, before things fizzle for him. It’s a brutal take on the 23-year-old Miller, who has dealt with ankle, hamstring and knee injuries, plus one concussion, in his short career. Miller is currently rehabbing a torn ACL suffered in October 2025, but it sounds like he is expected to participate next week. If Kamara is released, Miller should at least get a chance to compete for the No. 2 role. Triplett believes the team has one A-back in RB Travis Etienne, and two B-backs in Miller and, presumably, RB Devin Neal.

Bummer. His season is over. Neal was playing well in RB Alvin Kamara’s (ankle/knee) stead. Neal can be expected to contribute next year, though he may not have done enough to convince the coaching staff that he deserves to be the 2026 starter. The 22-year-old rookie rushed 57 times for 206 yards and two touchdowns, and caught 17-of-19 targets for 104 yards in his first season with the Saints.

Saints rookie RB Devin Neal (hamstring) has been starting in Kamara’s stead, but Neal has already been ruled out this week. That leaves RB Evan Hull and RB Audric Estime to potentially compete for the starting role. Estime notably outplayed Hull last week. If Kamara can return, expect him to handle a sizable workload. The Saints face the lowly Jets this week.

Neal exited after scoring a four-yard touchdown against the Panthers last week. It is an unfortunate development for the rookie running back. Saints RB Alvin Kamara (knee/ankle) was not present during the portion of practice open to media, leaving the Saints with RB Evan Hull and RB Audric Estime. Saints head coach Kellen Moore notably got Estime involved in space on three combined screen passes and checkdowns. Although he is on the practice squad, he is worth stashing. He outplayed Hull last week.

Saints RB Devin Neal exited with a hamstring injury, allowing Estime to get involved as a receiver while RB Evan Hull ran four times for 12 yards. Estime was churning his legs through contact after securing two screen passes and one checkdown target. Veteran RB Alvin Kamara (ankle/knee) has not yet resumed practicing. Estime could warrant RB3/FLEX consideration against the Jets in Week 16.

He was deemed questionable to return to the game, but never did. Neal scored a four-yard touchdown on his final play before exiting, following his blocks on an outside run to the right side. He broke the plane by dutifully lowering his left shoulder and plowing through contact. Thus far, Neal has rushed seven times for 28 yards and one touchdown, adding one reception for four yards. His status will be something to monitor this week. Kellen Moore did not have an update after the game.

Kamara and Richards were ruled out on Friday. Reid seemingly had a chance to return from his knee injury, practicing in a limited capacity on Thursday and Friday. He will try again next week. Reid accounts for 45 tackles, two quarterback pressures, one sack, two pass breakups and one interception. Saints RB Devin Neal (abdomen) will start again in Kamara’s stead.