News
Alvin Kamara Injures His Knee, and the Saints Already Knew Who the Lead Back Was
He was listed behind Travis Etienne before Tuesday. A few weeks on the sideline in late camp does not change that.
By Kenny Flermoen · August 19, 2026
Alvin Kamaraleft Tuesday's joint practice against the Cowboys with a knee injury. New Orleans Football's Nick Underhill, relayed by Pro Football Talk, reported he avoided a tear and will miss a few weeks — enough to write off the rest of the preseason. This is not a confirmed MCL grade in those reports. It is a knee that imaging cleared of a torn ligament.
What happened
The session in Oxnard got chippy. Fights did not produce the injury. Coach Kellen Moore told reporters afterward that only two Saints could not finish: Kamara with a knee, and Quincy Riley with a groin.
The scare is familiar. Kamara played 11 games in 2025 (131 carries, 471 yards, 1 rushing touchdown, 33 catches for 186 yards) and was Out in Weeks 13 through 18 with a knee. That finish was widely reported as an MCL sprain. The 471 rushing yards and one rushing score are career lows. Tuesday's reports have not confirmed the same diagnosis.
Why the timing matters
New Orleans signed Travis Etiennein free agency on a reported four-year, $52 million deal to take the lead job. The depth chart already has Etienne at RB1 and Kamara at RB2. A few missed weeks of camp does not threaten Kamara's roster spot. It does take him off the field while the rotation is getting locked in. Etienne was going to take the first-team work down the stretch anyway. This removes the remaining debate.
The dynasty angle
Kamara scores a 2,449 Dynasty Value Score — 36th among running backs — and projects for 146.7 half-PPR points in 2026, 8.6 per game. That already prices a complementary 31-year-old behind a new lead back. A late-August knee with no tear does not recut it. Etienne is the name that matters: 4,832, 23rd at the position, 196.1 projected points. If you needed a reason to stop waiting on a Kamara rebound as RB1, this is it.
If Kamara's absence stretches into September, Devin Neal is the listed RB3. He played nine games last year. His DVS is 0. That is camp depth, not a new committee. Kendre Miller sits behind him.
Etienne is well ahead of Kamara on our Top 40 RB season projections. Model either of them against your roster on the Dynasty Trade Calculator.
Join the founding waitlist
Founding leagues lock in $2.00 per player, forever. Price rises to $3.00 once the founding cohort is full.
Founding leagues also get permanent Founding Franchise status in your Vault history.
FAQ
- How long will Alvin Kamara be out?
- Nick Underhill reported no torn ligaments and a timeline of a few weeks. That likely ends his preseason. The Saints have not set a regular-season return date.
- Is this the same injury as last year?
- Same area. Last season he was Out in Weeks 13 through 18 with a knee after a Week 12 ankle designation, and reporting then called that one an MCL sprain. He played 11 games. This camp injury is a knee with no tear. A specific MCL grade has not been confirmed in the reports we are using.
- Does this injury threaten Kamara's roster spot?
- No. Travis Etienne is already listed as the Saints RB1. Kamara is the RB2. Missing the last stretch of camp costs him practice reps in that smaller role. It does not reopen the job.