3 RBs Left for Saints with Etienne Out. What about Free Agency or Final Contract Year Fill-Ins?

Depending on the length of Etienne's absence, the Saints might need to look elsewhere for help.

Jan 4, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Taysom Hill (7) runs against Atlanta Falcons linebacker Divine Deablo (0) and cornerback C.J. Henderson (39) during the second half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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With the hamstring injury to Travis Etienne Jr on Sunday, the Saints are down to three running backs on the active roster as of this writing. Etienne pulled up lame on a first down run in the final half of the Saints loss to the Raiders Sunday afternoon.

The three backs left in the running back room are:
- 10-year veteran Alvin Kamara
- Oft-injured Kendre Miller
- New to the Saints CJ Donaldson

New Orleans does have 5th year man Zamir White on the practice squad, who could move up this week to the active roster.

Free Agent RBs Available

Depending on how long Etienne may be out, the Saints could find themselves going shopping for a rusher. Among free agent running backs who are available on the open market right now,
- Former Chief Kareem Hunt, who ran for 611-yards and 8-touchdowns in 2025 for Kansas City.
- Ex Dolphin and Raider Raheem Mostert, who had limited time with Las Vegas, but spent three seasons with Miami earning a Pro Bowl selection in 2023 when he scored 18-rushing touchdowns.
- Antonio Gibson played the last two seasons with the Patriots, tearing an ACL in Week 5 of last year. Before that, he was with the Commanders for four seasons.

Backs in the Final Contract Year

With the NFL trade deadline approaching in a little over a month (November 10), teams can sometimes get bargain basement prices on players who are in the final year of their contracts.
- the Giants' Najee Harris, who signed a one-year deal with them in August.

Thinking Big

But if you're going to dream of a back in the final year of his agreement, why not dream big?
- Chase Brown with the Bengals. who is in his final contract year.
Or dream even bigger:
- How about having former Tulane star Tyjae Spears return home? His base salary of $3.6-million in this, his final contract year with the Titans, would fit in the Saints budget.

Of course, the free agent most Saints fans would want would be the return of jack-of-all-trades Taysom Hill. After nine years with the franchise, Hill announced he would not be returning to New Orleans for 2026.

The man who originally brought him to New Orleans, Sean Peyton, now head of the Broncos, tried to entice Hill to join him in Denver, but the two could never come to an agreement, which tells you Hill was too rich for Peyton's blood.

If the Saints are in dire need of running back help, it will be interesting to see if the Saints will make an overture to the do-everything athlete and if Hill's demands prove too much for his former club as well.

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