The New Orleans Saints won't be seeing any production from one of their top draft picks any time soon.
The team announced Saturday that DT Christen Miller, the No. xxx overall pick in the most recent draft, has been sent to injured reserve due to a knee injury suffered during Wednesday's practice. Miller has only seen limited action in four games this season and was a healthy scratch for Week 9.
When asked earlier this week what the rookie would have to do to see the field more, defensive coordinator Brandon Staley was quick to pinpoint a key issue.
“He needs to practice. … That’s the biggest factor in any young player’s development is just being able to practice," Staley said. "You know, [Wednesday] he was having a tremendous practice, because he’s been able to stack weeks of practice. He’s got all the talent in the world. He’s shown it on the practice field, he’s shown it when he was healthy in training camp, but he just needs to string it together.”
That issue won't be resolved any time soon, with Miller now out for at least four weeks before he'd be eligible to return ahead of Week 14.
The Saints announced three more moves ahead of their Week 10 matchup with the Panthers, after which the winner will claim first place in the division. The team announced RB Travis Etienne would be officially activated from IR, meaning the star free agent acquisition will see the field for the first time since injuring his hamstring in the second half of a Week 3 loss to the Raiders. The team also elevated kicker Charlie Smyth and OL Easton Kilty from the practice squad.
It's likely we'll Etienne featured as part of a trio with Audric Estime and Alvin Kamara, with all three serving functions in the offense. Estime took over the lead back role in the win over the Browns and rumbled for 72 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. Etienne said it's the most rotation he's ever experienced in a backfield since arriving in the NFL, but he's eager to fill whatever role the team has for him.
"At the end of the day you've got to control what you can control, you know, no matter what you're getting 10 carries, 5 carries, 3 carries," Etienne said. "You've got to make the most of those opportunities and just be grateful that you get opportunities."
The Saints (3-5) host the Panthers (3-5) for a noon kickoff inside the Caesars Superdome. Catch all the action on WWL and Audacy.
