The Saints’ running back depth has taken another hit. Eno Benjamin ruptured his Achilles during practice today, according to Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football. The injury will presumably keep Benjamin off the field for the entire 2023 campaign.
According to Brooke Kirchhofer of NOF Network, Benjamin suffered the injury toward the beginning of today’s practice. During QB/RB drills, the 24-year-old went to plant his leg and immediately fell to the ground. Benjamin was then carted off the field and obviously didn’t return to the practice field.
The 2020 seventh-round pick didn’t get into a single game with the Cardinals during his rookie campaign but saw a larger role during his sophomore season. Benjamin finished that year with 160 yards from scrimmage in nine games. The running back had a chance to start for the Cardinals during the 2021 campaign, starting three of his 10 appearances with the organization. However, he was cut by the team midway through the year.
He bounced around the NFL a bit to end the 2022 season. Benjamin had a two-game stint with the Texans before catching on with New Orleans, where he got into three contests. In total, Benjamin finished the 2022 campaign with 506 yards from scrimmage, with almost half of those yards coming via the passing game.
We learned Friday that the organization would be without Alvin Kamara to begin the season, leaving free-agent acquisition Jamaal Williams as the current starting RB. Third-round RB Kendre Miller will likely slide in as the primary backup to begin the season, and Benjamin’s injury could open a roster spot for undrafted rookie Ellis Merriweather.
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