Saints Plan To Activate Travis Etienne

With Etienne fresh off his third 1,000-yard campaign, the former Jaguar drew interest from multiple teams in free agency last offseason. Etienne, a Louisiana native, wound up returning to his home state on a four-year, $48MM deal with the Saints. The Broncos, who also pursued Etienne, were reportedly “shocked” they didn’t land him.

Etienne was arguably the Saints’ marquee offseason pickup, though the investment hasn’t gone according to plan so far. He has only played in three of the Saints’ eight games, and he has totaled just 30 carries. Etienne has averaged 4.3 yards per attempt (right in line with his 4.2 career mark), though, and should provide an upgrade when he gets back into the lineup.

New Orleans ranks 26th in the NFL in rushing and 27th in yards per carry (3.8) at the midpoint of the season. Quarterback Tyler Shough, the team’s leading rusher, has inflated the Saints’ still-lackluster YPC with a 4.8-yard average. Meanwhile, franchise icon Alvin Kamara has averaged a woeful 3.3 per tote on 47 carries. Kendre Miller leads the Saints in carries (57), but they cut him last week after he mustered a mere 2.8 yards per attempt.

The Saints’ overall struggles on the ground led to the firing of run game coordinator T.J. Paganetti on Nov. 2, but they came off their bye and fared better in Week 9. Thanks in part to a 160-yard effort on the ground, the Saints pulled out a 23-22 overtime win over the Browns. Audric Estime led the way with 72 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. If the Saints continue to run the ball well with a healthy Etienne, it would go a long way toward keeping them in the NFC South race. At 3-5, they are tied with the Panthers for the best record in the division. The two teams will square off in New Orleans with first place on the line on Sunday.