Alvin Kamara's 2025 season ended early with a leg injury, and his 2026 will now start late for the same reason. The New Orleans Saints' running back has reportedly suffered an MCL sprain and will miss at least a month, per ESPN. While Kamara is no longer the primary back in New Orleans – the Saints signed free agent Travis Etienne Jr. to a four-year deal this offseason, after he rushed for 1,107 yards with 13 combined touchdowns as the Jacksonville Jaguars' starting running back in 2025 – he was still expected to pick up considerable carries as the second option on the depth chart.
In week 12 last season, Kamara suffered an MCL sprain against the Falcons in a 24-10 loss, and did not return for the rest of the year, ending what had been a disappointing campaign with a career-low 471 yards on 131 attempts, one rushing touchdown and just 3.6 yards per carry. Kamara also had just 186 receiving yards and a career-worst 16.9 yards per game: his previous low was 32.7, and he averaged just under 39 per game the season prior. That performance is part of what pushed the Saints to bring Etienne into the mix to begin with, and now the 31-year-old Kamara has suffered another MCL sprain.
Two other running backs, Devin Neal (hamstring) and Kendre Miller (back), have only just returned to practice from injury themselves. Kamara's contract was reworked in the spring, as a reflection of his expected workload in 2026 and for working under the salary cap limitations – as ESPN noted, the Saints had the most expensive running back room in the NFL for 2026 before his deal was scaled down. He could earn up to $2.5 million in possible incentives on top of the $6 million he is set to earn in 2026, which would not match the $11.5 million he was originally set to earn.
Now the question is whether he can reach those incentives, however. It was already unclear if he would be able to achieve that goal before the MCL sprain; without a set timeline, those chances are even more opaque. Neal, 23, made three starts and appeared in 10 games for the Saints as a rookie in 2025.
He picked up a pair of rushing touchdowns and averaged 3.6 yards per attempt, while picking up 11 first downs. Miller didn't make a start in ‘25 but did appear in seven games, where he averaged 4.1 yards per attempt in 47 rushes with a touchdown and nine firsts. With Kamara out with an injury, the pair could be called upon more heavily than expected in Saturday’s preseason matchup against the Los Angeles Rams.
