Two More Down in Paris
CJ Donaldson and Justin Reid both left the Week 7 game with injuries, the Saints confirmed. Neither finished. Reid is listed as questionable; Donaldson's status hasn't been clarified beyond the exit.
The timing is rough. Donaldson had been a quiet contributor out of the backfield — 96 rushing yards and some receiving work over eight games — and his absence pushes New Orleans deeper into a running back room that already leans heavily on Kendre Miller and whatever Alvin Kamara has left in the tank on any given week. Zamir White is atop the depth chart, with Jarquez Hunter behind him. There's coverage there, but not much cushion. On the back end, Reid's questionable tag matters because the safety position has been thin all season — Lorenzo Styles Jr. spent time on injured reserve earlier in the year, and the secondary has been patched together for weeks.
The Saints are 2-5 and two games out of the final wild-card spot with ten to play. They've lost their last game and haven't won at home in their last four tries. The two-game stretch where they looked like a functional team — including the Week 6 win over the Giants — already feels like it's receding. Every week this roster absorbs another hit, and every week Mickey Loomis is asking for patience with a young team. The patience is getting harder to justify when the injury list keeps growing.