Miller and Donaldson Inherit the Backfield. New Orleans Has Been Here Before — Twice Already.

Travis Etienne Jr. is out, and the Saints are turning to Kendre Miller and CJ Donaldson for Week 4. That's the third running back situation New Orleans has had to sort through in as many weeks, which tells you most of what you need to know about where this roster stands right now.

The offseason plan was straightforward enough: Kamara and Etienne as a one-two punch, with enough complementary pieces behind them to absorb a bump or two. Kamara's MCL sprain in August scrambled that before the season even started. Etienne's hamstring Sunday scrambled it again. Miller is active and listed first on the current depth chart; Donaldson is behind him. Neither has carried a significant workload yet this season, and the Saints are about to find out what they have.

What makes this harder is the context around it. Kelvin Banks Jr. is on injured reserve. The offensive line is already patched together. The backfield depth was thin to begin with — the Zamir White trade in August was partly an acknowledgment of that — and now it's being tested in a way the front office probably hoped to avoid until later in the year, if at all. Miller has shown flashes in limited work; Donaldson is a name on a depth chart more than a proven quantity at this level.

The next week or two will clarify Etienne's timeline. For now, Miller gets the first crack.