Immediate Fallout After Saints Lose Devin Neal For Season

The New Orleans Saints announced some bad news on Thursday.

Saints running back Devin Neal will miss the rest of the season. Head coach Kellen Moore announced earlier in the week that Neal would miss the Week 16 contest against the New York Jets. On Thursday, the Saints announced that Neal will be placed on the Injured Reserve, thus ending his season. The team also announced a flurry of moves, including signing Kevin Austin Jr. to the active roster, Elijah Cooks and Nyheim Miller-Hines to the practice squad, and cutting Cade York.

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"New Orleans Saints Executive Vice President/General Manager Mickey Loomis announced today that the club has signed wide receiver Kevin Austin Jr. from the practice squad to the active roster, signed wide receiver Elijah Cooks and running back Nyheim Miller-Hines to the practice squad, placed running back Devin Neal on Injured Reserve and terminated the practice squad contract of kicker Cade York...

The Saints had a tough day on Thursday

Dec 14, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Devin Neal (24) runs the ball during the second quarter against the Carolina Panthers at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

"Austin Jr., 6-2, 200, was originally signed as undrafted free agent by the Jacksonville Jaguars following the 2022 NFL Draft out of Notre Dame. After spending time on the practice squad with Jacksonville (2022-23), the Fort Lauderdale, Fla. native signed with New Orleans during 2024 training camp. In his career, he has appeared in 13 games with two starts, including five appearances in 2025, recording 14 receptions for 184 yards (13.1 avg.). In Sunday's win over Carolina, he played extensively in the second half and had three catches for 33 yards."

The big story of the day is the update that Neal is going to the Injured Reserve. Once placed on the IR, it requires a four-game absence minimum. There are only three games left for the Saints.

With Neal out, the Saints' running backs Audric Estime and Evan Hull immediately will get boosted in the Saints' offense, plus potentially Miller-Hines. Of the two, Estime should be the No. 1 back. Last season, he had 310 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 76 carries. He also had five catches for 27 yards as a member of the Denver Broncos.

If Kamara can return any time soon, that would be good as well for the team, but he missed practice once again on Thursday. Overall, it seems like Sunday's contest against the Jets is going to be heavy usage for Estime and Hull.

Neal looked good as the team's top back with Alvin Kamara and Kendre Miller out over the last few weeks. Overall, he finishes his rookie season with 206 rushing yards on 57 carries with two touchdowns.

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