The Saints will be without all of their running backs Sunday when the team faces the Carolina Panthers due to contact tracing, according to a report from FOX Sports’ Jay Glazer.
New Orleans placed running back Alvin Kamara on the NFL’s reserve/COVID-19 list Friday after he reportedly tested positive for the Coronavirus. Glazer reports that due to close contact with Kamara running backs Latavius Murray, Dwayne Washington and fullback Michael Burton won’t be able to play Sunday.
That leaves quarterback Taysom Hill as the team's available leading rusher. Hill has rushed for 416 yards and seven touchdowns this season.
The report says the Saints will be able to use Ty Montgomery who’s played some running back this season and call up rookie Tony Jones Jr. from the practice squad.
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Montgomery is in his first season with the Saints and has appeared in five games this season but only has one rushing attempt. He has caught two passes for 25 yards. Saints coach Sean Payton said Friday that Montgomery has been a good addition to the team.
"He's a versatile player. He plays a lot at the receiver position. He can play a lot at the running back, he does a lot of things," Payton said. "And he's someone that has explosiveness. He's good with the ball in his hands after the catch. So he's a guy that gives us special teams snaps as well. He does a lot of things for us."
Jones Jr., an undrafted rookie out of Notre Dame, will make his NFL debut. The 5-foot-11, 224-pound back, played four years for the Irish and tallied 1,481 yards and 12 touchdowns in 37 career games.