Saints get 4 players back for Tuesday practice; 2 signed to practice squad

The New Orleans Saints had some good and some bad news coming out of Tuesday's practice, the first full session since the team cut down to its 53-man roster and signed its practice squad.

Let's start with the good: The Saints had four players return after extended injury absences. That group included CB Quincy Riley, RG Cesar Ruiz, LB Chris Rumph and DT John Ridgeway. The news is particularly welcome at CB, with Riley not participating since leaving early with a groin issue during a joint practice with the Cowboys.

Now the bad news: RB Kendre Miller departed early with a trainer during the portion of practice open to the media. It was unclear what he was dealing with. Head coach Kellen Moore is not scheduled to address the media again until after Wednesday's practice.

Brought to you by TRANESOUTH: It's hard to stop a Tranewww.audacy.com

The departure is more concerning simply based on the player involved. Miller has been snakebitten by injuries throughout his career, but he had been coming off back to back strong performances in the preseason. He missed time with a back issue earlier in camp, but had since shown no ill effects. The Saints are scheduled to open the regular season on Sept. 13 at Ford Field against the Detroit Lions.

TAKING ATTENDANCE

Here are the players who I did not see practicing on Tuesday out in Metairie:

- RB Audric Estime
- DB Lorenzo Styles Jr. (calf)
- RB Alvin Kamara (knee)
- TE Oscar Delp (hamstring)
- DE Cam Jordan (hamstring) Styles has been reverted to injured reserve, meaning he'll miss at least the first four games of the season.

Estime's absence will be one to watch, though he told me on Monday that he was feeling no ill effects from the ankle issue suffered in the preseason opener and his early departure in the preseason finale was due to tired legs.

We also saw a handful of number changes:

- K Daniel Carlson: 10
- DE Anfernee Jennings: 33
- WR Trey Palmer: 16
- QB Zach Wilson: 11

PRACTICE SQUAD

The Saints announced a pair of additions to the practice squad in WR Cedric Tillman and TE Stone Smartt. Tillman has appeared in 38 NFL games and caught 71 passes for 833 yards and five touchdowns over three seasons with the Browns. Smartt played his first three seasons with the L.A. Chargers, where he crossed over with several Saints coaches, including Kellen Moore. He spent this past training camp with the Eagles before being among their cuts.

The now have 15 of 17 spots filled on the practice squad.